Shadow
by Hallucifer
Summary: Sequel to Echo. With Dean and Cas gone, Sam has nothing but Lucifer. Together, they've found some kind of contentment, but Sam still misses his brother. When Dean returns, Sam hopes to keep all the people important to him close, but neither Dean or Lucifer are keen to get along. Desperate not to lose either, Sam attempts to make his brother understand the bond he and Lucifer share.
1. Saint Dean

**Note:** Oh look, a sequel! If you haven't read Echo, I'd go do so now or you probably won't understand what the hell's going on. To those who have read and reviewed, thank you so much for all the favs and reviews, I truly appreciate it. Anyway, I got a ridiculous amount of requests for a sequel, which I really wasn't expecting, but you were all so nice I thought I owed it to all you lovely people. So here it is! Apologies if my updates are inconsistent, but I'm going back to Uni soon so I don't know how much time I'll have for this. So thank you in advance for your patience.

* * *

**Shadow**

**Chapter One: Saint Dean**

Life with the devil wasn't really what he'd expected. Not that it was really something he'd particularly thought about previously. He'd once had fleeting thoughts, which he'd tried to oppress, about what life would be like _as_ Lucifer, but after quickly remembering that he wasn't supposed to be considering that option, he forced his mind onto other matters.

Life _with_ Lucifer was surprisingly simple. He hunts; minor jobs- poltergeists, werewolves, possessions- with Lucifer watching over him. They stay in hotel rooms, sometimes for weeks at a time. Lucifer was insistent that the world's problems were not _all_ Sam's responsibility, reminding him that there were other hunters out there, and not even everything that went bump in the night was bad.

"Look at me, Sam," Lucifer had said. "I'm as supernatural as it gets, but you're not planning on doing away with me, are you?"

He'd sounded like he was joking, but even so, Sam had pulled him close almost desperately and pressed their lips together, whispering, "no. Not ever."

The idea of getting rid of Lucifer right now was like cutting off one of his own limbs, and that realisation didn't worry him perhaps as much as it should have.

He woke up to an empty space in the bed beside him. That wasn't out of the ordinary. Lucifer was practically all-powerful, something greater than his understanding, and Sam knew it was unreasonable to truly expect him to remain constantly cooped up in grimy motel rooms. Sam used to worry about where he went, but eventually he'd come to realise the important thing was that Lucifer came back.

And he always did.

Sure enough, he was just tying his shoelaces when there was a flutter of wings behind him and Lucifer's cool breath on the side of his face, followed by his lips.

"Hey," Sam muttered, face cracking into a smile as he turned to face his angel.

Lucifer's continuation of wearing Nick's face was still holding up, which Sam had to say he was glad for. Not just because the whole burning vessel this was a little disconcerting, but because he'd come to associate those blue eyes and that messy blond hair with Lucifer, and he honestly had to say he liked it.

"What's the plan for today, Sammy?"

Sam huffed thoughtfully, reaching out for the newspaper on the bed beside him. "There's a pretty odd story here. Petite, five-foot-two wife suddenly butchers loving six-foot, body builder husband of twenty years," he summarised the article with clear suspicion in his tone. "Sounds like o-" He broke off, stopping himself from saying 'our'. This wasn't Lucifer thing, not really. "My kind of thing," he finished hastily.

"Yours and Dean's," Lucifer said, as astute as ever at knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Sam sighed, leaning back into Lucifer behind him so the back of his head rested on the archangel's shoulder. "Sorry," he muttered. "I know you don't like it when I talk about him."

Lucifer shrugged, nudging Sam gently with the movement. "He is your brother," he said blandly, his words tactfully neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

Sam pursed his lips together, nodding, before making an effort to change the subject. "I'm gonna go get breakfast. You coming?"

Lucifer shook his head.

Sam understood. Lucifer grew irritated when around humans for too long, often preferring to remain secluded in the motel room while Sam was out. As much as they were together and appreciated each other's company, Sam knew thousands of years alone in the cage still affected Lucifer; seclusion was comfortingly familiar, even if it wasn't ideally what he wanted.

After planting a quick kiss on Lucifer's lips, Sam left the room, leaving the archangel to his own devices.

Despite his hatred for it's occupants, Lucifer found the world a rather interesting place. He preferred the nature side of things, but the varieties of architecture, entertainment, and general ways of life were fascinating in their own way. As the (ex-)Angel of Music, he could appreciate the availability of music, especially. Unfortunately, he found much of it distasteful, but a small selection, he had to admit was acceptable.

Sam had taught him about the 'music channels' on the visual device humans were so fond of. At first he'd thought the whole concept mind-numbing and ridiculous, but after hearing Castiel had a preference for television, he submitted to give it a try.

For some reason, the humans seemed to be fond of accompanying their music with strange videos, ranging from mildly acceptable dancing, to frankly bizarre animations. Lucifer failed to see the point in that, but there were some which merely showed the humans playing the instruments live, which he had to confess an interest in.

Sam had informed him the songs he preferred were categorised as 'classic rock'. Lucifer didn't understand why humans were so obsessed with categorising and labeling everything, but it did make it easier to quick track down more favourable shows and selections, so after finding a show titled 'Greatest 80s rock classics', Lucifer contented himself to watch until Sam returned.

As the next song began, Lucifer frowned, attempting to recall why he recognised the strange, gibberish phrase the song began with, followed by the following enthusiastic drum beat. The (comprehensible) lyrics had just begun, reeling off the phrase, "I've got something to say" when a shrill ringing cut through the room and Lucifer's attention was drawn to Sam's phone sitting on the bedside table.

He knew Sam considered the device important, but with hardly anyone to indeed contact it anymore, Lucifer supposed it was failing in it's significance as of late, hence why Sam had been negligent enough to forget it on this occasion. He occasionally got calls from old contacts of his beloved friend Bobby, but they were few and far between. Lucifer considered answering it, if only to please Sam, though he had no desire to speak to some human.

Narrowing his eyes, he leant over and picked the device up out of vague curiosity and simply nothing better to do. The still irritatingly familiar song playing in the background, he turned the phone so he could see the screen, remembering Sam's explanations about caller ID. Lucifer froze.

_Dean calling_.

Nothing for Lucifer could ever replace the heaven he had lost, but the past year with Sam had been the closest to happiness he'd been in a long time. And if there was one thing in the universe that could threaten to disrupt this newfound happiness, it was Dean Winchester.

Lucifer did not intend to lose his heaven a second time.

He sent a smiting burst of angelic energy at the phone, ensuring it was beyond repair, all the while cursing Dean Winchester and his resilience at not staying dead.

* * *

Inevitably, they'd just finished looking around a crime scene they'd gained access to via fake ID, when Sam realised his phone was missing.

"Do you remember where I left it?"

"On the bedside table, I think," Lucifer replied, because he still could never and would never lie to Sam. That technically wasn't a lie. He had answered the question, simply neglecting to mention that fact that he knew Sam's phone was not in fact where he left it, but rather the disintegrated pieces of it were sitting at the bottom of the bin.

"I should go back for it," Sam said.

"Why?" Lucifer insisted. "It's not like you use it much. No one important's going to call." No one important by Lucifer's standards, anyway. "Everyone you'd usually call is gone Sam."

Sam flinched unhappily at those words. He briefly felt like snapping at Lucifer for being so harsh, but seeing as he'd been dissuading the devil from blowing up the planet for the past year, manners and tact were perhaps a detail he could overlook. "Yeah," he sighed. "I suppose."

Instead Lucifer took hold of him and pulled him closer, pressing his lips against Sam's, clutching the hunter to him with unabashed possessiveness.

In the shadows of some narrow alley leading back to where they'd left the Impala, Sam let his eyes flutter closed, sighing as Lucifer's fingers ran through his hair and clenched tight, the other hand gripping his waist almost to the point of hurting. He could almost feel Lucifer's grace burning with each touch, indescribably hot and cold, like sparks of electricity on his skin. There was a voice whispering to him, quiet yet echoing in a guttural, ancient language what he could vaguely comprehend as "nonci chia in". _You are mine._

Sam's eyes cracked open, meeting the fierce blue gaze of the angel barely an inch away from him. Lucifer had once said he knew Sam better than Sam did himself, but over their time together, the hunter had realised that may be the case both ways. He knew the angel, too. Enough to know that these touches were too frantic, too possessive, this was a Lucifer that felt threatened.

A while back, Lucifer had torn a girl's heart out of her chest because she'd made Sam laugh while flirting with him in the back car park of some bar. Sam had yelled and screamed at him until he undid the damage, before wiping the girl's mind and taking off.

A rather intense fight between that had ensued with Sam refusing to speak to him, lips pursed and adamantly keeping his back to the angel, until Lucifer had slammed him against a wall to force some acknowledgement.

Sam tried to think now, what could have happened for Lucifer to react this way. There hadn't been any particular bold moves of anyone flirting with him, as far as he could remember. In fact, the two of them had been pretty secluded the past few days, which was generally how Lucifer was happiest.

"Everything okay?" he asked the angel eventually.

Lucifer said nothing, because that meant he could in no way be said to be lying. Instead, he walked down the rest of the alley to the dank car park at the end. The sky was darkening by now, the area empty beside them, the Impala, and a couple of battered old SUVs.

Lucifer had stopped walking just at the edge of the lot. Sam hovered beside him, watching curiously as Lucifer bent down and plucked an old, thorny weed from between the cracks of concrete. The hunter watched in fascination as it grew in Lucifer's hand, expanding into multiple stems that wound around each other and sprouted thorns and buds, which then quickly blossomed into roses of deep crimson.

Sam had seen tricks like this before. It was strange, that the flowers Lucifer made always seemed dark somehow, never bright and fresh, but dark like something old that had been there so long and yet couldn't quite manage to wilt.

The spindly vines of deep green ceased their growth, interlocked together in a circles with the rose heads sprouting at intervals from the sides. Sam just smiled tiredly, consenting to bend at the neck as Lucifer placed the bizarre crown upon his head.

"Must you always dress me up?" he muttered.

Lucifer waved his hand and a neat little rose formed on the lapel of his suit. "You deserve to be dressed up," the angel replied. He reached out and tucked Sam's hair back behind his ears as he liked it. "You are something beautiful, Sam."

Sam couldn't help but smile. He knew others thought well of him- that he was a good hunter, that he was clever- but it was only from Lucifer that these spontaneous compliments came. The compliments that made him feel that wasn't something_ wrong_, or _unclean_, or _broken_.

"I love you," he told the devil, because it was true.

"Do you?" Lucifer muttered.

Sam frowned. Lucifer would do this sometimes, this weird method of double-checking. It reminded him of that day he'd said yes, and Lucifer had replied "excuse me?", as if he'd just wanted to make sure.

"You know I do."

Lucifer wouldn't meet his gaze, staring at the rose on Sam's lapel. "I could take you anywhere, you know? There's so much you would love to see, Sam. The pyramids, Stonehenge, I could take you to the summit of Mount Everest."

Sam sighed, reaching up self-consciously touching the thorny crown on his head. "Maybe someday."

Lucifer frowned, as if displeased. "I could give you the world, Sam," he insisted. "Even now."

The hunter shook his head. He reached up and took off the crown, plucking the rose from the button hole in his lapel. "I don't want the world, Lucifer."

"Then what_ do_ you want?"

"You," the hunter said with a fond smile. "You, and the time we spend together, and to help people, and..." His smile faded, teeth scraping his bottom lip. "Ideally, you know, I just want somewhere to belong. With you and..." He knew Lucifer wouldn't like this, but he felt compelled to say it. "And with Dean, too."

However, Lucifer was no longer listening. There was something he liked even less at that moment, visible over Sam's shoulder in the distance. He gritted his teeth, wings flapping with such force the cars in the lot actually trembled and creaked on their suspension, the trees almost bending over with a breeze that seemed to spread outward like no natural wind could.

Sam just blinked at the empty space where Lucifer had vanished. Subconsciously, his hands clenched on the thorny stems in his hands but they abruptly wilted and fell apart, the remains slipping through his grasp and onto the ground.

"Sammy!"

Sam turned, wide-eyed, hands still half held out in front of him, the breath catching in his throat as Dean passed between two cars parked at the side and headed straight over to throw both arms around him.


	2. Your Real Family

**Shadow**

**Chapter Two: Your Real Family**

"Dean..." For a few long moments, it's all he can say. Blinking to ensure he was truly not seeing things, Sam could do nothing but splutter a delighted laugh in surprise and embrace his brother again.

"Aw man, Sammy," Dean said, voice comfortingly deep and familiar, breath hot against his ear. "You're not gonna believe what happened to me."

Sam leant back, eager for answers, though his gaze briefly strayed to glance round in hopes that Lucifer hadn't gone far. "Yeah," he blurted eventually. "What... Where _were_ you?"

"Purgatory, man," Dean exclaimed. "Freakin' Purgatory."

"_Purgatory?_" Sam repeated incredulously. "Wow..."

"Yeah, so don't worry, I don't blame you for not being able to find me," Dean said, whacking him playfully in the arm. "Bet you were pretty stumped, right?"

"Yeah..." Sam breathed, forehead creasing as the guilt began to claw at him. But what had he been supposed to do? Dean and Cas; they had just _vanished_. How could he have looked when he had no idea where to start? ...At least, that was what Lucifer had insisted the times Sam had wondered what had indeed happened to his brother.

The remains of his crown of roses, such a symbol of praise and devotion from Lucifer, were basically ashes now under his feet. He tried to make out some recognisable petal of delicate stem, but it all looked the same. And the car park was otherwise empty, the night now still, his angel gone.

"How did you find me?" Sam said, turning back to his brother.

"I called you at first," Dean replied. "Got no answer. Then I tried tracking the phone but it wasn't picking up the GPS for some reason." Dean shrugged. "I phoned Garth- who was pretty happy to hear from me, really- and he managed to track it to the last known location. So I came here and looked round until I found you." He paused, the enthusiasm dropping somewhat from his tone to be replaced with a hesitant curiosity. "Garth says he hasn't seen you in a year."

Sam swallowed, opening his mouth but no words of explanation came forth.

"I know the guy's a little annoying, but that's kind of harsh, Sam." Dean raised both eyebrows. "You've at least got Kevin somewhere safe, right?"

"...Not exactly."

The surprise on Dean's face was clear, and Sam supposed it was to expected, but the disapproval slowly creeping onto his expression was worse. "What the hell have you been doing then?"

_I've been with the devil. He keeps me company, I sleep with him at night, I talk to him, I've been having sex with him. And even worse than that, I think I'm in love with him. I don't even think that's a bad thing, but how can I possibly make you understand?_

He couldn't, Sam decided. It wasn't anything against Dean, it was just simply something he could not put into words to make someone else understand. So he said nothing of those thoughts. Instead, he opened his mouth and lied because it was all he could do. The trees around the car park shifted in the breeze as if in disapproval, and Sam briefly wondered if Lucifer was still loitering nearby, but he could do nothing now but continue until he'd told Dean something he could maybe understand. Got stuck, took a break, some girl, whatever.

"_A girl?_" Dean's disapproval was clear, but it was something Dean could comprehend.

Sam could live with disapproval, they could sort that. Dean was shaking his head and muttering, clearly less than pleased, but had he known the truth the reaction would have been so much worse.

"I'm sorry," he muttered, though he wasn't entirely sure how he meant those words.

Dean gave his faux-FBI suit a pointed glance. "But you're back on the job now, right?"

"Yeah..." Sam nodded, shrugged. "Guess, I felt bad."

Dean was still frowning, but he snatched the keys for the Impala nonetheless, appearing a little contented at being reunited with 'Baby'.

Sam slid into the seat that Lucifer had occupied for the past year, all but wincing when his foot nudged against the faux-leather hooded jacket he'd given Lucifer. After finally convincing the archangel to wear more than one outfit, he'd rather enjoyed shopping for him while Lucifer trailed after him, half-heartedly glaring at the clothing racks as if they were personally offensive. He downright ignored most of the clothes Sam gave him, but consented to wear a limited selection, which included this one jacket as a personal favourite.

As Dean started the car, the engine roaring to life with it's usual ferocity, Sam pushed it under the seat with his heel. He needed time to think before he could let anything cause Dean to start asking questions. He didn't think the made-up girlfriend excuse would cover a men's jacket in a style that was rather unlike Sam's personal taste, not to mention not even his size.

Sam directed them back to his hotel room, filling Dean in on details about the case along the way. Standard job, no big deal, and Dean jumped in with his usual enthusiasm to help.

They pulled up into the car park, and Sam quickly jumped out, fumbling in his pocket for whatever money he had on him. "Hey, you know, we should celebrate. That you're back, I mean." He found a crumpled twenty dollar bill. "Go grab some beers, okay? And you'll need to book yourself a room, this one's a single." A single with a double bed.

Dean frowned, but took the offered money nonetheless with a short nod. "Alright, I'll catch up with you."

Sam nodded, forced a smile, and hastily disappeared into the motel room while Dean headed to the nearby gas station shop.

"I'm sorry," he declared to the empty air the moment he'd slammed the door behind him. "I didn't know. I swear, I didn't." Running a frustrated hand through his hair, he began snatching up the few things of Lucifer's and hurriedly packing them away. "Look, we can work around this." He shoved everything in his duffel bag, tugging at the zip as it caught. "He's my brother. Like Michael's yours. You've got to understand that. I can't turn my back on him." The zip came loose and pulled shut with a grating, drawn-out screech before the room fell silent.

He'd grown so used to Lucifer just being there, listening. He was still inclined to believe the archangel could hear him now, but nothing stirred in the small motel room.

Sam sighed, sitting down on the edge of the bed with his head bowed. "Lucifer, will you please just answer me?"

He waited.

Nothing.

Eventually Dean returned, carrying a pack of beer, from which he plucked one and handed it to Sam. "You okay?" he asked, as astute as ever at picking up on the rather downtrodden look on his little brother's face.

Sam nodded, muttering something about being tired as he popped the bottle cap.

* * *

Dean had appeared satisfied enough with his excuses to retire to his newly-booked own room a few doors down, but now alone, Sam was still up and dressed by two in the morning and continuing his one-sided conversation with the distinctly unresponsive air.

"I don't know what you want me to do, Luce. I can't just take off and leave him, that... that's just not fair." He was stood aimlessly in the centre of the room, fists clenched but hanging at his sides, shoulder drooped tiredly. "But I won't leave you either. And you can't leave me without letting us _talk_ about this. _Please,_ Lucifer."

Silence.

"I love you," he whispered. There was a vague hope that those words would spark some classic, magical moment, all he ever needed to say to get Lucifer to return to him. But the room remained empty, the air still, nothing but an agonizing silence that gave him no answers.

Sam swallowed thickly, eyes damp as he stumbled back over to the bed and crawled onto the mattress, letting his head smack against the pillow.

His intention had been to merely lie there and sulk, but the tiredness must have caught up with him as Sam eventually fell into a deep enough sleep to not hear the door open. He was, however, quickly shocked awake by a force that threw him across the room and pinned him to the wall with the iron grip of a figure with notably black eyes.

Sam gasped and scrabbled against the arm holding him, glaring back at the smirking figure, a man just a couple of inches shorter than himself, though with undeniably larger muscles. But it was a supernatural strength with which the demon held him right off the ground.

For a terrifying, fleeting moment, he worried that Lucifer had sent this creature after him. Perhaps another after Dean. Dean could already be dead...

But then his mind snapped back into logical mode because he had to think if he wanted to get out of this. And he recognised that man. Yes, from the paper. The exact case he'd been investigating. He'd suspected it was a demon, just another rogue evil creature doing bad for the sake of it. He almost laughed in relief.

Actually, he couldn't have if he wanted to. He was losing oxygen much faster than he would have liked. His throat felt like it was being crushed, his lungs screaming in his chest, his vision had just started to blur when another hand- neither his nor the demon's- wrapped around his captor's own throat from behind, digging in with enough force to quickly draw blood before throwing him across the room.

Sam slid down the wall and stumbled back onto his feet with desperate gasps.

The demon was fumbling on the floor, spewing blood from the gruesome wounds around it's host body's neck. It looked up only to see Lucifer slowly, almost tantalisingly, wave a hand over it's form, as some invisible force followed the motion, slicing ribbons into the body and cutting through it as the creature screamed and yelled before flashing with a last ounce of supernatural life and finally falling still.

Sam tentatively moved forward, staring down at the grotesque, shredded remains of the demon. Usually, he was rather unnerved when he saw Lucifer kill with such violence, even to those he knew deserved it, but this had been particularly ferocious, the force Lucifer displayed only when truly mad.

"...Luce?" His voice cracked in the horribly silent room.

The angel wasn't looking at him, stood over the body and silently watching the blood seep into the dusty motel carpet.

"Lucifer. Please. Just look at me." He walked round so they were face-to-face.

At the very least, Lucifer didn't turn away, but he didn't look up at him either. He taken off the jacket of the suit, along with the tie, the shirt untucked and the sleeves rolled up. His hair was sticking up in various directions, the way it always seemed to end up. It almost made Sam smile. So many times he'd patted Lucifer's hair into a somewhat neat state, and within a couple of hours it was completely mussed once more.

"Where were you?" Sam asked.

"Around," Lucifer muttered. "Somewhere quiet. No... humans."

"But you've come back," Sam whispered.

Lucifer turned his head away to stare out the window, his voice quiet. "You were in danger. I wouldn't let anything hurt you, Sam. You must know that."

"I know." He pursed his lips, attempting to keep some semblance of self control. "I thought you really weren't coming back." The words left him in a rush, half-choked with the tears that stung at his eyes despite his best attempts to hold them back.

"How could I leave you, Sam?" Lucifer sounded almost bitter. "Where exactly would I go?"

Sam sighed, brows furrowed. He hesitated only briefly, before reaching out and laying his hand on Lucifer's arm. "It doesn't matter," he said. "You're not leaving me. Not ever." He tightened his hold. "I need you too, you know."

Lucifer's hand went to the back of his neck, just holding him briefly, before pulling him closer and pressing their lips together.

Sam let his eyes fall shut, just savouring the moment. By the time he leant back he felt a little reassured, both hands now grasping Lucifer's shoulders. "We can do this," he said.

"Without Dean."

Sam sighed again. "Dean's not going anywhere. I don't _want_ him to."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. He pushed away from Sam and turned his back to him.

"Lucifer, I know you love me, but you can't just refuse to let anyone near me." He tried to step into his line of vision again, but Lucifer continued to look away. "Dean's not going to take you away from me."

Lucifer choked out something akin to a laugh, though it was too bitter to be amused. "Of course not. He's _never_ tried that before."

Sam opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it again. He couldn't deny that Dean would want rid of Lucifer in any way possible. "We... I can make him understand."

Lucifer looked less than convinced.

"Please, Luci. You have to trust me."

"I do," Lucifer muttered. "It's him I don't trust."

"Dean's not the bad guy."

"You're saying I am?" Lucifer snapped.

"_No_," Sam insisted. "Lucifer, it's not a competition. It doesn't have to be one or the other. I love Dean as my brother, I love you as... as..."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow.

"As my other half," Sam finished. He flushed slightly, but he didn't regret his words.

Lucifer's gaze slid over to him. "I knew Dean called, you know? I destroyed your phone."

Clear irritation flashed across Sam's face, but he pursed his lips to stop himself reacting too hastily. "You shouldn't have done that," he muttered.

"Dean should have stayed dead."

Sam clenched his fists, but refused to react. He knew what Lucifer was doing. Lucifer was trying to make him angry, to force an argument rather than reveal that he was actually hurt. _I know you_. "You promised never to lie to me," he said.

"I didn't lie," Lucifer insisted. "I just didn't tell you what I did."

"I've still got right to be angry," Sam said. He paused. "But that doesn't stop me loving you. Dammit, Luce, you drive me crazy at times, but I _love_ you, okay? Dean or not. I love you."

For a few long moments, Lucifer just stared at him through his lashes, as if trying to work out the sincerity of those words. Slowly, he raised his head so as to properly look at Sam, the tension in his stance easing slightly.

"We can make this work," Sam insisted. "I promise."

The words had hardly left his mouth before Lucifer had sent a blast at him that shoved him straight back into the wall, pinning him in place much like the demon had done. It didn't hurt though. It was close to hurting, but not quite. A lot of being with Lucifer was like that, especially in their days of dancing round each other. Not quite pain.

Lucifer stepped up to stand in front of him. Fierce. A hurricane of angelic fury trapped in a six-foot-one form. "You belong to me," he said firmly.

Sam just nodded. He could live with that.

The hold Lucifer had on him vanished, as Sam knew it would, and he landed neatly back on his feet, merely closing his eyes as Lucifer moved forward and pinned him once more, with his own weight this time, the archangel's lips moving slowly over his. "Mine," Lucifer kept whispering to him between kisses. "Mine, Sammy. You're mine."

Sam just collapsed into his touch, face flushed, murmuring vague replies of confirmation. He would have nodded if he could, but in Lucifer's hold, he hoped the way he parted his lips and pressed his hips forward was a good enough answer.


	3. I Wanna Give You Everything

**Shadow**

**Chapter Three: I Wanna Give You Everything**

Sam had insisted they dispose of the corpse first, but once they had cleaned up the body and any remaining traces, he let Lucifer have him.

Having sex with an archangel was strange, to say the least. Amidst the pure bliss of it, it was like he could feel everything that Lucifer was. Perhaps it was Lucifer's grace inside of him, perhaps it was trying to reach out, feeling the the angel it belonged to so intimately close. Either way, the whole sensation made Sam feel immortal. Pinned to the mattress, legs shifted up around Lucifer's back, staring into blue eyes he couldn't quite focus on enough to be sure whether he really could see the endless stars in them.

He groaned, clutching helplessly at Lucifer's upper arms, palms sick with sweat as the archangel thrust into him all the harder. The thick girth of his cock sliding rhythmically in and out of Sam's hole. He knew he would be majorly sore in the morning, but he felt he should give Lucifer this, this reassurance that he still belonged to him.

Besides, it _was_ a rather enjoyable experience.

His mouth stuttered open with a louder moan, hips spasming desperately, uncontrollable as it was impossible to focus on anything but the throbbing ache in his cock. It felt like he was on fire, but Lucifer's breath was icy and cool on his face. And there was flapping that every so often took him off guard with a gust of wind.

Wings. How he loved those wings...

Through blurred, shaky vision, he could see them over Lucifer's shoulder; huge and pale blond and stretching right up to the ceiling. They were made of such beautiful feathers, but he knew they were strong, strong enough to easily throw a person across the room if they were to smack into them.

Lucifer's hands were gripping the sheets either side of his head. Occasionally he'd bend down, dipping his head to press his lips against Sam's, pulling back and leaving the hunter breathless and craving his touch all the more.

Perhaps like all things that were supposedly bad for you, Lucifer was addicting. The demon blood had been a raw, consuming desire, but Lucifer was so much more complicated. He hadn't know before that it was possible to be so very desperate for someone's touch, the way he smelt, the sheer _aura_ that surrounded him.

Lucifer shifted inside him, deep enough to make his back arch, cock leaking all over his stomach as Lucifer brushed their lips together again.

He all but whimpered as Lucifer wrapped a hand around his length, just as he was desperate for, just how Lucifer always knew exactly what he wanted.

"Luce... _Lucifer_..." He wouldn't last long the way Lucifer was stroking him, in time with every thrust, the pressure of his hand too perfect to be human.

Lucifer hushed him, kissing him again and again, teeth scraping his bottom lip, almost drawing blood. He pushed in deeper, rocking his hips until Sam couldn't see straight.

He'd been trying to hold back, trying to remain in this blissful state of purse pleasure for a little while longer, but the orgasm overtook him with such force he was coming before he could even consider hanging onto any self control. His grip fumbled on Lucifer's arms again, nails digging in though he had no chance of hurting the archangel, a half-whimpered moan choking it's way out of his throat as he felt Lucifer shudder on top of him, his seed filling him moments later.

He tried to say something, but nothing more than vague, mumbled whimpers whines left his mouth as Lucifer slowly pulled out of him. "Love you," he managed.

Lucifer leant down and kissed him in answer.

Sam sighed, breath ghosting across Lucifer's face. He knew they couldn't leave it like this. He couldn't go back to that familiar old game of dancing around with Dean, pretending nothing was amiss while Lucifer hovered invisibly about him. He'd had enough of lies. The past moments of dishonesty between the Winchester brothers had never led anywhere good, and Sam still often flinched at the memories of the scars they created. But he and Dean always prevailed, brothers to the end. They'd stitched up the rifts between them. And he knew a new one was about to be torn, a giant, devil-sized tear, like a chasm between them.

Lucifer had shifted to lie on the bed beside him, the length of his body pressed against Sam's side, gaze studying his face with an intensity that almost made Sam's blush.

His wings fluttered briefly, then slowly drooped down, one over the edge of the bed and spilling onto the floor, the other draping itself across Sam's body like a blanket.

Sam felt his eyes drift shut, one hand fumbling to make a half-hearted attempt at pulling the covers up. He got them up to his waist and gave up, instead feeling for Lucifer's hand and holding it tight.

* * *

Sam would have described himself as being stuck in the middle, except Lucifer was the one physically between them, sat backwards on a chair on the next table over, while Sam and Dean occupied the two-seater table at either side, the devil visible to only one of them.

Dean was eating his breakfast with the usual enthusiasm, spearing bacon with his fork, as Sam recounted how he had stumbled across the very creature he'd been hunting last night, editing in- with a brief glance at Lucifer for permission- a version where he had managed to grab the demon knife and do away with the thing himself.

"Good job," Dean said. "I don't like things sneaking up on you like that, though. Good thing your big brother's back to watch your back, eh?"

Sam smiled weakly, while the glare Lucifer had been aiming at Dean for the past twenty minutes only intensified.

"He is mine to protect," Lucifer declared, though Dean heard nothing of it.

Sam cleared his throat. "So, I guess we're moving on, yeah?"

"Yeah," Dean replied. "Finding Kevin would be a good idea to start with."

"We don't know where to look, Dean. Crowley has him."

"Well, we find that son of a bitch Crowley, then."

"Alright."

Dean downed the last of his coffee and called for the cheque. He threw a few notes on the table and asked Sam to pay while he went to the bathroom.

"Maybe he'll slip and smash his head in on the sink."

Sam jumped slightly, turning to Lucifer wide-eyed. "Don't say that." He paused. "Don't make it happen, either."

Lucifer looked away, but said nothing.

The waitress approached with the cheque, practically beaming at Sam and leaning over rather shamelessly as she placed it down on the table, her shirt buttoned far less than it needed to be.

She _was_ pretty, Sam vaguely noted. Tall and curvy, silky dark hair, long lashes and bright eyes. And he felt nothing. He was aware that he'd been looking at women less and less, nor did he look at men. His gaze strayed to Lucifer a couple of feet away.

It was like being drugged. Addicted. He knew he was unhealthily fixated and he was becoming less and less able to do anything about it. Being with Lucifer made the rest of the world dim in comparison. He could recognise attractive women still, but they were like flickering light bulbs in comparison to the sun. The idea of sex with them was still appealing, but it was like thinking of playing your favourite board game while at the world's greatest theme park. Movies on video tape compared to Blu-ray. Copper compared to gold. A human compared to an archangel.

The waitress walked off with the money, looking disappointed as Dean returned.

"We going then?"

Sam nodded. "Yeah."

* * *

A few days passed with little event. At least, as little as there ever was in the Winchester's lives.

Sam knew Lucifer's tolerance was wearing thin. Half the time when Dean was talking, he was distracted by a glaring, pacing archangel hovering in the background muttering various derogatory comments about his brother.

Sam knew it was unreasonable to ask him to stop. He couldn't make Lucifer like Dean, or vice versa. And he knew Lucifer did, in some sense, have right to be irritated about being shunned into remaining invisible because of Dean's presence. Lucifer had lost his home, and for a while, he'd had a place in the world once again, at Sam's side, but Dean had unknowingly shoved him into the backseat. Both physically and metaphorically as Sam was now in Lucifer's previous place of the passenger seat of the Impala, and the devil could rarely be persuaded to sit in the back, so he merely disappeared during their journeys.

"You don't go far, right?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I'd never go far enough to not be aware if anything happened to you, Sam."

Sam sighed. "That's not what I was asking. I know you'll watch over me. I just wish I could do the same."

"Supervise me, you mean."

"No." He closed his eyes briefly, pushing out air between gritted teeth. "No, Luce. Stop fighting me. I-"

The bathroom door opened. Lucifer flew off.

Sam dropped back down onto his bed in frustration. He ran his hands through his hair, before quickly straightening up, sure Dean would be about to question him on his attitude, when he noticed his brother was looking just as out of sorts. "What?"

Dean slowly turned to look at him. "I thought..." He trailed off, shaking his head.

"_What?_" Sam pressed.

Dean sighed, taking a seat opposite on his own bed. "It was probably nothing. But I thought I saw Cas."

"_Cas?_ But you said... you said he didn't make it out."

"I know. But..." Dean gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "Forget it."

Sam pursed his lips but said nothing. He briefly considered asking Lucifer if he could sense Castiel anywhere, but he doubted the archangel was in a mood to do him any favours. Besides, the last thing Lucifer would want was another person who likely resented his presence around.

Lifelessly, Sam dropped fully down onto the mattress, curling up and burying his head in the pillow as he decided the world was simply far too complicated to deal with right now.

* * *

The first thing Sam noticed upon waking was the clothes he'd gone to sleep in on the floor. He spent two seconds, which felt distinctly longer merely staring at his jogging trousers and shirt crumpled on the carpet, before he was distracted by a teasing flick of the tongue that quickly led him to the realisation of just how hard he was.

The mixture of shock and pleasure was such a jolt to his system that he couldn't stop the moan that escaped from between his lips. He fumbled up onto his elbows, panting as he cast a frantic glance over at where Dean was- mercifully- still sleeping in the other bed.

"_No_, Lucifer." He scrambled back on the bed, blushing as he pulled the covers up to cover his manhood, pressing down against it as Lucifer pointedly raised both eyebrows at him.

"You never complained about me waking you like that before." Lucifer sat back on his heels, eyes narrowed. "You seemed to be enjoying it, Sammy."

"Dean..." He paused briefly, drawing in a quick breath to try and stop his voice from shaking. "Dean is right there."

Lucifer turned his head lazily to the side, regarding the older Winchester briefly, before turning back to Sam. "If Dean can continue as if I'm not here, I can do the same."

"No. You... That's not..." Sam sighed in frustration, reaching down and snatching up his joggers. He shuffled into them under the covers, glad of the loose fabric as he slipped off of the bed and quickly made his way to the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

The temptation to finish getting himself off was throbbing between his legs, but he forced himself to resist, knowing Lucifer could transport himself into the bathroom at any moment, locked door or not.

He took a horribly cold shower, dried himself off and finally headed back into the other room.

Dean was awake now, already dressed, and Sam froze briefly, realising he'd left his brother and the devil in the same room alone together, but Lucifer was merely sat backward on a chair at the small table under the window, still glaring and clearly unseen.

"Morning," Dean muttered, passing him to head into the bathroom himself.

Once the door closed, Sam turned to Lucifer. "Don't do that again."

"What, ever?"

"No." Sam sighed again, closing his eyes briefly to compose himself. "You know what I mean. When we're alone, it's fine. Just don't go giving me blow jobs when my brother's around."

"Why?" Lucifer bit back. "Would poor little Dean have a heart attack?"

Sam's eyes narrowed. "People traditionally don't have sex in front of other people." With that, he turned away and began to dress for the day.

"Sam?" Lucifer said after a couple of minutes of silence.

Sam pressed his lips together, but said nothing. He knew, despite everything, Lucifer resented the idea of Sam being mad at him.

"Sammy?"

Sam made a point of finishing buttoning his shirt before he turned around. "I love you," he said. "You know that. You know that's what matters."

Lucifer gaze was downcast. "I know. But things can't stay like this, Sam. You _know_ that. It's not working."

Sam did know. Something had to change. He couldn't live forever keeping the two people that meant the most to him from each other. He couldn't keep secrets from his brothers. He couldn't make Lucifer remain in the background. It just wasn't fair on anyone.

Trouble was, how on earth was he supposed to breach the topic with Dean? It wasn't exactly something he could just drop into conversation.

Perhaps they had been so caught up in their conversation, he and Lucifer had both dropped their usual acute levels of awareness slightly. He hadn't heard the voices in the other room. Perhaps Lucifer's focus was not entirely on remaining unseen, enough for him to only remain cloaked to those of basic vision, such as humans.

The two of them hardly heard the bathroom door open, only looking up when a voice that was distinctly not Dean's greeted, "hello, Sam."

He spun round, mouth falling open. "Cas!"

It was surely enough Castiel, stood just beside Dean a few steps from the bathroom door. He looked a little torn up and dirty, presumably effects of Purgatory, but otherwise clearly the Castiel they knew. He smiled minutely upon seeing Sam, opening his mouth to speak once more but his gaze shifted and he seemed to forget what he had been about to say.

Sam blinked, his mind perhaps working slower with the shock and stress of everything, before he took in the line of Castiel's gaze to the chair at the side of the room where Lucifer was staring straight back.


	4. Public Enemy Number One

**A/N:** _Sorry sorry sorry for the slow update. I'm back at uni, so real life is doing that annoying thing where it gets in the way of fandoms. Thank you all for your patience and consistently lovely reviews, you are too kind to me._

**Shadow**

**Chapter Four: Public Enemy Number One**

The only reassurance that Cas very obviously knew, was that Dean didn't. Cas was wide-eyed, brows furrowed, mouth hanging open slightly, but Dean was stood with his attention fully on the younger of the angels in the room, clearly more concerned with interrogating him over his sudden reappearance.

"Cas," Sam said cautiously, fully aware of just how guilty he looked, but eyes pleading with Cas to just not say anything, just not right now.

Eventually, Cas gave a single, short nod.

Slowly, Lucifer stood up, coming to stand behind Sam. "Hello, little brother."

Dean was the only one unaware of the stifling tension in the room. "Cas, where were you? What happened? How'd you get out of Purgatory?"

Sam had been wondering all those things, too. But right now, they seemed like minor issues. His very precarious situation was suddenly balanced even more precariously then before, dependent completely on Castiel's will.

Cas turned to Dean, and Sam was sure he felt his heart stop, but Castiel had always been one to give people a chance to explain themselves. "There's time for that later. You must update me on everything that's happened. But I should get cleaned up first." He glanced over at Sam and Lucifer. "It's early morning, I believe. Dean, you should get some breakfast for you and your brother."

"Breakfast?" Dean asked incredulously. "Cas, you've just been sprung out of Purgatory. Breakfast can wait. You-"

"_Dean_," Cas said firmly. "We have much to discuss. You should not neglect yourselves. Humans require sustenance."

Dean pursed his lips, blowing out air through his nose. "Alright," he snapped. "I suppose it's the most important meal of the day and all that." He huffed, picking up his jacket. "I'll be back."

The sound of the door closing after him was eerily loud in the otherwise silent room. As it clicked shut, the remaining one human, plus two angels, turned to look at each other.

"You..." Sam swallowed, facing Cas. "You can see him." It wasn't a question, face serious with the clear awareness of the situation he was in.

"Yes," Cas said. "I can see him." His gaze dragged over Lucifer. "He is supposed to be in Hell."

"I know."

"Yet he's here." Cas hunched his shoulders, clearly prepared to battle if necessary. "How?"

Sam took a deep breath. "I let him out."

"Why?"

Sam blinked, briefly caught off guard at that simple question. Cas' voice was stern, but he seemed genuinely curious. Sam supposed it was a valid enough question. _Why?_ "Because... he doesn't belong down there. He belongs with me."

Cas' eyes narrowed, his shoulders still clearly tense under the fabric of his trench coat.

"Please, Cas," Sam blurted, well aware of the desperation in his voice. "He's not doing anything bad. Come on, it's not like the apocalypse again-"

"Michael is still trapped?"

"Yes," Lucifer answered. "He can see what an eternity in the cage is like for himself."

"Revenge on Michael?" Cas questioned, apparently disregarding Sam's attempted excuses and focusing on his brother. "Is that all you want, Lucifer?"

Sam looked over at the archangel, surprised to see Lucifer's gaze downcast.

"I'm not so unlike you, Castiel," he said. "Have you not disobeyed? Fought to protect what's important to you?" His eyes slowly moved to fix on Cas'. "I'm not a single-minded being of evil set on revenge and suffering, you must give me more credit than that. I am capable of having ambitions outside of hurting others."

Castiel raised his head firmly, voice firm. "What do you _want_, Lucifer?"

"Sam," Lucifer replied.

"He will not be your vessel-"

"I know."

That answer clearly caught Castiel off guard. He drew back slightly, looking between the two of them for some explanation. Several times, he opened his mouth, but words seemed to fail.

Sam took a deep breath in, held it briefly, before exhaling. "I love him, Cas." He swallowed, his voice gradually gaining confidence. "I love him and I want him to stay. With me."

If Cas had been shocked before, it was nothing compared to the now wide-eyed, completely flabbergasted expression on his face. Sam was unsure he'd ever seen him show so much emotion. "No," the angel said eventually. "Sam, you are not thinking clearly."

"I'm thinking just fine," Sam insisted. "Cas, please, just listen to me. He hasn't asked me to be his vessel again. Not once. Besides, Michael's still in the cage. The apocalypse can't go ahead with only of them. Lucifer can't fight himself."

"The demons," Castiel continued firmly. "The Croatoan virus could still be unleashed."

"He hasn't been near any demons."

"I hardly care for those disgusting creatures," Lucifer added mildly. "My only concern is Sam."

Castiel's eyes narrowed once more. "You will not take him. I will ensure he is kept away from you."

"Cas, _no_," Sam cried, but his words quickly turned to a gasp as he stumbled back, out of the way of Lucifer's wings that had suddenly spread from his back.

The archangel had clearly not taken well to the threat, his vessel's shoulders drawn back, intimidating in itself at almost the same height as Sam. His wings were large enough to fill the entire room, stretching from one wall to the other, nearly brushing the plaster, hues of pale blond and gold shimmering as each feather pulsated with power. His eyes were burning, _glowing_, literally, with the underlying force of what was contained in that form, more powerful than the entire human population, than any nuclear device, even- as the wariness on the other angel's face showed- dimming Castiel's powers in comparison.

"Sam Winchester is mine." Lucifer's voice made the windows shake, still from his vessel's vocal cords, but vibrating with something close to his true voice. "And you, nor anyone else, shall take him from me."

A slightly Purgatory-worn, but still well usable angel blade materialized in Castiel's hand. "I will fight to protect the Winchesters," Cas said. "Even if I don't stand a chance, I will not let you do this."

Sam looked warily between them, well aware a full-blown angelic fight was close to erupting in front of him. All the worse, between two people he cared so much about.

"No." Sam dodged round Lucifer's wing to stand in front of him. "Cas, before you hurt him, you'll have to go through me."

Cas lowered the blade slightly, eyeing Sam curiously. "Sam," he said eventually. "Think about what you are saying."

"I know exactly what I'm saying." He stepped back so he was almost against Lucifer's chest. "Castiel, if you hurt him, I'll never forgive you."

"He would never be able to get near hurting me," Lucifer muttered, breath ghosting against Sam's ear.

Sam ignored the comment, gaze fixed on Castiel. "Please, Cas."

Castiel let his blade-wielding arm drop to his side. "What about Dean? It is clear he knows nothing of this... arrangement. If you truly believe there is nothing wrong, why not tell him?"

Sam sighed, though silently glad Cas seemed less intent on fighting. "It's hard to explain."

"He needs to know."

"He will." Sam shifted awkwardly. "Eventually," he added.

"Right now," Cas insisted. "When Dean steps back through that door, you tell him everything."

Sam swallowed, brow furrowed, though he relaxed slightly as one of Lucifer's wings drooped to wrap around his shoulders. He glanced back at the archangel, meeting Lucifer's eyes briefly, before turning back to Cas. "Okay."

"I am serious, Sam," Cas said firmly. "You are to tell Dean or I will."

"I said okay."

He knew Cas was right. He knew that he would have to confess eventually, and that his time for hesitance and excuses was quickly running out. It should be now, he decided. It may take years for Dean to come around to the idea, but the sooner he threw the issue out into the open, the sooner it could be dealt with.

He saw his brother's silhouette pass behind the closed blinds on the front motel room window, and Sam took in a deep breath, drawing his shoulders back. He could do this. They could do this.

The door handle turned and Sam reached behind him for Lucifer's hand, but his fingertips only brushed Lucifer's skin before it disappeared under his touch with an echoing flap of wings.

Sam snapped his head round, all previous confidence he'd been building up quickly draining away as he realised Lucifer had vanished.

Even Cas was caught off guard now, glancing around anxiously as Dean stepped back into the room. He clearly hadn't expected Lucifer to pull that, anymore than Sam had, but Cas remained resolute, turning back to Sam with a pointed look. "Tell him."

Dean placed the carrier bag he'd been carrying down on the table, frowning. "Tell me what?"

Sam swallowed thickly, hardening his resolve as he turned to face his brother fully. "Dean, I need to talk to you."

Dean's eyes narrowed, clearly wary, but he remained calm. "Okay. About what?"

There was no other way than to just come out and say it, Sam knew. He was done with dodging around issues and keeping secrets. They had got through worse than this, hadn't they? Dean was his big brother. He could make Dean understand. "Lucifer."

* * *

"Is this meant to be some cruel joke, Father?"

The wind shifted, bitingly cold, but otherwise provided no answer. Not that he had ever expected one. If his Father had ignored his constant pleas from those first thousand years in the cage, before he eventually gave up hoping for any answer, then why would be respond now?

Lucifer didn't know if God just chose not to reply, or if he simply wasn't listening, but he kept talking all the same. "Is this it? Is this my true punishment? For eons I am told that there will be one made for me, one to complete me. And then you dangle him in front of me and repeatedly pull him away."

His anger flared, making several of the trees around him creak and tremble, despite their great height and stature.

"I do not want vengeance anymore," he snapped, hands clenching into fists, teeth gritted, shouting at an empty sky that provided no answers. "These humans- these horrid, murderous creatures can stay. I don't care. _I don't care anymore_."

The air swelled with his anger, the thick trees lashing, each particle of dust and atom trembling.

"Listen to me, Father, I will let it go. Everything I said. I will not take it back, but I will let it go. Just..." His head drooped, wings slowly swooping down to hang limply from his back, his voice lowering to barely above a whisper. "Just give me Sam Winchester. I will give up my entire purpose in exchange for Sam Winchester."

This was the closest to remorse that he had come since falling. This was a confessional. To the all-powerful and supposedly forgiving being that was his Father. And he received no answer. He received no forgiveness. Not even any minute relief from the weight on his shoulders.

Lucifer dropped down to his knees, jeans scraping against the dirt, wings folding loosely around himself. "This is my penance then? To watch him be pulled away from me once again."

It was easier, Lucifer decided, to believe that no one was listening. Better to think no one had heard and could therefore show no reaction, than that someone heard and simply didn't care enough to react when he was pouring his heart out in the most open display of affection he'd shown in eons.

He let his head droop until his chin was almost touching his chest, eyes falling shut in utter dejection.

He would lose Sam. Dean would see to it. The younger Winchester would never be able to cope with losing his brother, so the sacrifice would be Lucifer. It was always Lucifer. Time and again, he had been cast aside for another more favourable. Lucifer had slowly come to realise that he was painfully replaceable.

He wouldn't go back, he decided. Rejection was inevitable and he would rather not face it. Sam still had his grace, but he didn't think the young hunter would really dare to use it. As long as Lucifer didn't draw too much attention to himself, he supposed he could pass the years in relative peace.

But doing what? He was ashamed to admit he had allowed himself to fall into a severe complacence with Sam, looking no further to the future than his time with the Winchester. Lucifer never had been one to plan ahead, focusing on the here and now. The trouble was, when the present suddenly changed, he was left with little in the way of back up plans.

Lucifer had never been humbled by his own immortality, but an eternity alone suddenly seemed incredibly vast and lonely.

* * *

For a few moments, Dean just stared at him in understandable confusion. "Okay," he said eventually. "What _about_ Lucifer?"

"He..." How could he say this? What possible words could explain the situation? There was no way to word this that would prevent Dean from freaking out in response, though Sam supposed it was justified. He _knew_ it seemed crazy. He _knew_ Dean would understandably think he'd lost his mind. It was perfectly just of Dean to tell him straight that he was insane and refuse to listen to his fumbling excuses. But he had to make Dean listen.

His brother was watching him with clear impatience, hands held out slightly in vague encouragement for him to continue, a silent message of '_well?_'.

Castiel stood between them, looking back and forth between the brothers and seeming a little regretful that he'd brought about this situation.

But it had had to be done. Sam knew. He had known all along deep down. Besides, he'd had enough of secrets. He'd had enough of the pleading and persuading and arguing. It was time to solve things.

He drew in a deep breath, held it, and slowly exhaled. "I'm gonna give you a choice, Dean, and I really need you to trust me when you make your decision."

Dean's brow furrowed, but he seemed willing to hear Sam out. "Okay," he said again.

Sam nodded, more to himself than anything, forcing the words out from his clenched throat. "Either you accept Lucifer and let him stay with me, live with us, and be my responsibility, or you throw us both back into Hell right now. It's your choice, Dean."


	5. Never Hurt You, Not Really

**Shadow**

**Chapter Five: Never Hurt You, Not Really**

"What?" Dean didn't even sound that angry. He almost sounded embarrassed, his eyes actually roaming the motel room for any empty alcohol bottles. His mouth twitched, almost as if he was about to laugh. It was only when his gaze shifted to Cas and he saw the angel looking worried and sombre that he realised Sam was being completely serious. "What?"

"You've still got the rings, right, Dean?" Sam continued, voice forced into a calm tone that still wavered slightly despite his best efforts. "The horsemen's rings. You can open the cage. I'll take another swan dive and take Lucifer down with me. That is, if that's what you want."

Dean's eyes snapped back to him, narrowing in suspicion. "Lucifer... You're not..."

Picking up on his brother's thoughts, Sam quickly shook his head. "He's not in me-"

"He was here," Cas cut in. "In this room. I saw him. He flew off just before you entered."

"What?" Dean said again.

"He's..." Sam took a moment to compose himself before continuing. "I'm sorry, Dean, I lied to you, but your return caught me off guard. I wasn't with some girl the past year, I was... I was with Lucifer."

"_Excuse me?_"

"I was with Lucifer," Sam repeated as calmly as he possibly could, which honestly wasn't really saying much. "I let Lucifer out the cage, and he's been here. With me. For the past year."

Dean was clearly starting to believe this whole situation was an illusion and he'd never really escaped Purgatory.

Sam sighed, ducking his head slightly to avoid looking at his brother's almost disgusted expression. "I need you to make a decision, Dean. Lucifer's bound to me. It's this thing to do with his grace. I don't really understand it that much, so if I'm going to have to force him until Hell with me I could do with some time to prepare."

"You're not going to Hell, Sam," Dean blurted suddenly, throwing his arms out. "No. I mean... Just _no_." He shook his head, apparently trying to compose himself. "Slow down. You're talking crazy. Explain things properly. You're saying Lucifer's up top, so where is he?"

"I attempted to follow where he went," Castiel said. "But he is able to cloak himself from me. He is, however, most definitely on earth."

"Okay," Dean said slowly, his gaze fixed on Sam. "And you... you're the one who set him loose. Again."

Sam frowned at the comment, but nodded. He sighed, voice warily quiet as if speaking with less volume would dull the effect of his words. "He doesn't belong down there, Dean."

"And yet, you're saying..." Dean paused, as if to ensure he really had understood. "You're saying, if I- pretty damn understandably, I think- decide his ass should go back down there, you're going, too?"

Sam nodded. "Just like before. Except I'll make sure I don't come back this time, unless he comes, too."

"So what you're saying," Dean continued, "is that wherever you go _Satan_ is coming, too? And vice versa?"

"Yes." Sam paused. "But don't call him that."

"Oh _sorry. _Excuse me if I offend the freaking _devil_."

Sam sighed. "Dean, please. I need your answer. Which is it?"

"What? Out of: my little brother going to Hell, or letting the devil roam free?"

Sam rolled his eyes. There was actually something a little reassuring about the familiarity of this arguing. It seemed strange to be comforted by such a thing, but Sam knew that Dean not bothering to argue would always be the far more worrying case. He knew his brother truly wanted to look out for him, doing what he thought was best even if it was against Sam's wishes.

Silence had fallen briefly between them. Dean was staring at him with the kind of desperation Sam had only seen a few times before, his face a mask of conflict, caught between common sense and love for the brother he'd always looked out for. Dean hadn't trusted him before, trusting only himself to look out for them both, but the idea of losing Sam was far worse to him than anything else.

"You're serious, aren't you?" he said eventually.

Sam nodded.

"Okay... Okay..." He ran a hand through his hair, apparently deep in thought, before he straightened up and turned to face Sam fully. His throat flexed as if he were forcing the words out from his mouth. "You are not going to Hell, Sam. No way." He paused, drew in a deep breath, and continued. "This is like before, right? When you said you were still seeing him. If I say no to both, you're gonna run off with Lucifer and there's nothing I can do to stop you. Right?"

Again, Sam nodded.

"Okay." He cleared his throat, the expression on his face making it all too clear how conflicted with this he was. "In that case, me and Satan need to have words. Where is he?"

"Dean," Sam breathed, shoulders sagging in something close to relief. "You mean, you-"

"Yes, alright?" Dean cut in. "God, Sammy, you haven't exactly given me much choice here. But I wanna take a look at this whacko situation for myself. Where is he?"

Sam took a shaky breath in, mouth twitching as if he wanted to smile but didn't quite dare. "Lucifer," he called out instead, waiting for the archangel to return to him as he always did when Sam called, only there was no flap of wings and the room remained occupied by only one angelic being.

Castiel frowned, looking to Sam questioningly.

"Lucifer!" he tried again. "_Lucifer_, come back here."

The lack of response was bordering on awkward. Were it not for Cas, Sam was sure Dean would have been convinced he was crazy and hallucinating again by now. But worse, now he finally had the situation out in the open and Dean at least _willing_ to trust him on the matter, Lucifer had chosen this inopportune moment to be at his most rebellious.

"_Lucifer!_"

Dean looked less than impressed, mind clearly already running over the best course of action to take with Lucifer turned to an enemy.

He was no an enemy, Sam resolutely told himself. No, he knew the devil almost as well as he knew himself. They were practically the same being after all. And he should have realised earlier just how hurt Lucifer was. He knew what Lucifer thought of Dean, and he knew Lucifer would never believe that his brother could accept him. Lucifer thought of Dean as like Michael, and Michael was far less tolerant than his vessel.

"He... He'll come back," Sam said eventually, immediately cursing himself for the clear uncertainty he failed to keep out of his voice.

"After doing _what?_" Dean replied with clear distrust.

"He's not doing anything," Sam insisted. "Dean, you don't like him, but you know he's not exactly fond of you either. He's had me for a year and then suddenly you and Cas show up and he's suddenly got two people that don't either like or trust him around. You can't blame him for not exactly being enthusiastic to welcome you home."

"Well tough," Dean insisted. "Cause I ain't going anywhere. Seriously, Sam, I don't like this. I don't like it one bit. But I'm willing to give this a chance. For you. But your little satanic friend isn't exactly making a very trustworthy impression here."

"I know," Sam was forced to admit. He contemplated for a few moments, a part of him still weakly hoping Lucifer would suddenly reappear but he remained distinctly absent. "We'll go find him. Just let me talk to him."

Dean looked at Cas for the angel's opinion, receiving a short nod in return. "Fine."

Sam plastered a small, grateful smile onto his face, before grabbing his jacket and leading the other toward the door.

Sam had just stepped outside, when unseen to him just behind, Castiel stopped Dean with a hand on his arm. The hunter turned to look at him questioningly, eyebrows rising when Cas pressed he handle of an angel blade into his hand.

"He is far more powerful than me," Cas said quietly. "But I may be able to hold him for just a moment. If the opportunity is there, take it."

Dean frowned. He didn't want to betray Sam like this, but surely it was for his own good. His little brother was good-hearted, but didn't always make the best decisions, even if he made them with pure intentions. Dean nodded, taking the blade and concealing it within his jacket.

* * *

"So how the hell are we supposed to find him?" Dean asked, adamantly behind the wheel of the Impala despite Sam's insistence that it would be easier if he drove. "The guy can zap himself anywhere."

"He won't have gone that far," Sam said. "He never goes far from me."

They were driving down a forest road, trees either side, on Sam's advice that Lucifer would never willingly stray toward where there were lots of humans.

"How the hell can you know that?" Dean snapped.

"I just do," Sam replied quickly. "I..." He paused, sighed. "I know him, Dean. You've got to believe me on this."

Dean huffed, but said nothing, turning to look out of his window for any sign of the elusive archangel.

Sam was peering constantly out his own window, a perpetual anxious frown on his face, eyes roaming the surrounding forest for a sight of blond hair or a flash of wings between the trees.

Then again, he doubted Lucifer would stay near the road. He preferred the pure nature, the quiet away from human civilisation.

"Dean." Sam turned round in his seat to face his brother. "I think we should get out and look. Let me go alone. I can find him."

"No way," Dean insisted, though he stopped the car. "I ain't letting you go alone. Lead the way, me and Cas will follow."

Sam sighed, but accepted the compromise, pushing the handle to open the door and stepping out onto the well-trodden mud road. He zipped his jacket up a little further against the chilly autumnal air, waiting for Dean to walk round the side of the car to join him and Cas, before the three of them made their way into the forest.

Sam could understand why Lucifer liked to come here. It was peaceful, the faint sunlight casting splatters of light between the leaves that covered them overhead, the shadows dancing and shifting in the breeze.

"So," Dean said. "Are we gonna wander this whole forest or what?"

"We'll find him," Sam insisted.

Dean huffed. "We should have brought breakfast with us," he muttered.

"I did attempt to remind you that you need sustenance," Castiel said.

Dean rolled his eyes, while Sam smiled, though he didn't pause in searching, eyes roaming the area. _Come on, Lucifer_, he pleaded, hoping the archangel could maybe pick up on his thoughts. _Where are you?_

There was a faint cracking like someone stepping on a twig to their right, and the three of them immediately twisted their heads in that direction.

The bushes nearby rustled, the trees shifting in the breeze. A lone rabbit suddenly dashed from the shrubbery, making both Sam and Dean release breaths they hadn't realised they'd been holding, both almost laughing as their hunter instincts relaxed.

Too soon.

The Wendigo struck from behind, grabbing first for Dean who dodged expertly out the way, reaching for his gun. It stumbled forward, claw swiping the air, heading straight for Sam. Sam saw Castiel move, arm outstretched to smite the creature, and he found himself moving, dodging between the angel and the monster, forcing Cas to pause his assault to stop him from striking Sam instead.

He had put himself right in harm's way. It was stupid and crazy and reckless, even if it would only cost him an injury before Cas could once again have free aim at the creature. He'd taken blows before on enough hunts, but that didn't make it hurt any less as the Wendigo's claws tore a series of deep swipes down his chest.

Sure enough, Cas destroyed the thing a moment later as Dean rushed to check on his little brother.

"Sammy!"

Sam had been floored by the impact, now scrambling back onto his elbows on the floor.

"Sam! Oh man, you're bleeding out. Cas, quick, heal him up."

"_No_."

Both Dean and Cas froze, looking down at him with clear bewilderment as the blood soaked through his shirt, the front of his jacket shredded open and hanging off of him.

"What?" Dean said. "Sam, just let Cas heal you."

Sam shook his head. "Not him." He winced, finding to his displeasure that any movement felt like someone was pouring acid over his chest. "Just wait. Don't touch me."

Dean and Cas exchanged baffled looks, but Sam merely drew in a deep breath to calm himself and waited.

It was nearly a full minute before the flap of wings made Sam smile despite his pain and the lightheadedness that was slowly creeping over him. He raised his head, meeting blue eyes as a firm hand curled round the side of his head and removed his pain with that simple touch.

He briefly noted Dean, staring wide-eyed down at them, Cas frowning warily, but all Sam cared about was the figure still kneeling beside him.

Lucifer's arm dropped back to his side. His face was impassive, jaw firmly set as if he were trying to stop himself from saying something.

Sam shuffled up so he was sitting, reaching one arm out and trailing his fingertips down the side of the archangel's face with an affection that made Dean's gaze soften despite himself.

"I could have just left you," Lucifer said eventually, voice barely above a whisper. "Castiel would have healed you eventually, no matter what you said."

"Well, I wanted you," Sam replied softly. "I know you'd never let me get hurt. Not really."

Lucifer looked briefly up at Dean and Castiel stood over him, before turning slowly back to Sam. "No," he conceded.

While neither were looking, Castiel gave Dean a pointed look, the hunter's hand having been gripping the blade inside his jacket for the past couple of minutes. Dean looked from the angel, to his brother and the archangel who was staring at him with a reverence and protectiveness that Dean could relate to. He let his hand unclench from the handle, his arm falling back to his side as he turned back to Cas and shook his head.


	6. Now, Where Were We?

**Shadow**

**Chapter Six: Now, Where Were We?**

"You ain't riding shotgun," Dean said once they returned to the Impala, nudging Castiel in the direction of the passenger side door.

Sam smiled weakly, opening the backdoor and climbing in, sliding up to make space for Lucifer beside him.

Though frowning slightly at being made to ride in the back, Lucifer followed Sam silently into the car, folding his arms and making the door close by itself, apparently as a final reminder that he was an all-powerful being that would not be told what to do.

Dean made no comment, starting the engine and turning the car back in the direction of the hotel.

They drove for ten minutes or so, the only sound the gentle roar of the Impala's engine, before they left the forest trail and headed back onto the proper road.

"We're stopping for food," Dean declared. "Our uneaten breakfast can be dinner, but I'm hungry now."

"As you wish, Dean," Cas said, peering curiously up at the sign of a diner as Dean pulled into the parking lot.

Lucifer looked less than pleased at the sight of the greasy human establishment, but Sam gave him a silent, pleading look and he followed without a fuss.

They took a four-seater table at the side of the room, the place dotted with odd customers but not overly busy beside those having a now late lunch, the gentle chatter and clinking of cutlery a dull background noise.

Dean dropped down into the seat beside the wall, Cas sliding neatly in beside him as Sam and Lucifer sat opposite them. Dean snatched up a menu, keeping his gaze on the laminated page, seemingly enveloped in scanning it's contents, though Sam knew he felt rather uncomfortable still to look at the being sat on the other side of the table from him.

"Can I get you guys some drinks?" A slim, brown-haired waitress smiled as she stopped beside their table, notebook and pen poised.

"I'll have a coffee," Dean said. "And a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon."

"Same here, but hold the bacon," Sam continued, forcing a quick smile at the woman. He glanced over at Lucifer who remained silent, but Cas asked for coffee. "Bring four coffees," he cut in, gaze again straying to Lucifer who merely shrugged.

Their drinks arrived soon enough, with promise that their food would be ready soon. Sam took a grateful sip, relishing the moment to relax after the stressful start to the day.

He had to say, though, he felt a cautious sense of happiness. It had been a rushed, whirlwind of emotion, but the situation was now as good as he could have possibly hoped for. He had probably the three most important (living) people in his life sat around the table together, all aware of each other's presence, and actually not trying to kill each other. For his life, that was actually a pretty good scenario.

He glanced at Lucifer out of the corner of his eyes. The archangel had been quiet so far, merely sat with his arms folded loosely over his chest. He hadn't touched his drink, merely watching the steam rise from the mug. Sam could tell he was still wary, a subtle aura of power buzzing around him like a defensive wall, but if Sam wasn't mistaken, there was a cautious hint of happiness there, too.

Castiel was now sipping his drink. Lucifer seemed to watch him for a few moments, before apparently deciding that if Cas was willing to partake in the human action in public, then he could also.

A few long moments passed before Sam felt the need to break it, being the only one at the table more or less on good terms with everyone there.

"Guys, I..." Sam ducked his head slightly, suddenly very aware that they were all looking at him. He cleared his throat briefly, before continuing. "I just wanted to say I'm grateful, you know, that you're all... not killing each other. For me."

Dean continued to look distinctly unhappy, but he could hear the sincerity of his brother's words. The whole situation was messed up, in his opinion, but there was no denying this brief moment of peace meant more to Sam that he was sure he even understood. "Yeah well, I'm trusting you, and lets hope it pays off." He glanced briefly over at Lucifer, who merely regarded him silently, eyes piercing until Dean looked away.

"It will," Sam said. His voice was quiet as his gaze shifted to the side to look at Lucifer. "Right?"

Lucifer turned his head only slightly, eyeing the hunter out of the corner of his eyes, before consenting to give a short, almost indiscernible nod.

Sam smiled.

* * *

Dean had already picked out another job seventy-odd miles away, so after collecting their things from the motel, they returned their room keys and headed back out to the car park.

"I am not sitting in the back of that thing like a child again."

Sam stopped walking halfway across the parking lot, turning to Lucifer beside him. Cas and Dean were up ahead and already unlocking the doors, having not heard the comment.

"Cas sits in the back all the time," Sam said weakly, hoping hearing about the willingness of the other angel would assure Lucifer this would not be seen as any kind of derogation.

"So I've observed," Lucifer replied dryly. "Your Castiel is a strange creature."

Sam sighed. They both knew Lucifer didn't really care that much about sitting in the backseat or what it implied, it was just others seeing him doing so and what _they_ might think.

"Look," the hunter said eventually, desperate to avoid any mass conflicts that might change Dean's already uncertain mindset. "I'll sit in the back with you, okay? So if you look like a child, so will I."

Lucifer seemed to consider this briefly, before nodding and following Sam over to the car, while the hunter wondered if he'd be sitting permanently in the back from now on. He wouldn't have given Lucifer any evidence to continue his prideful resentment of the backseat by saying it aloud, but Sam had to admit he preferred the front, too.

Dean frowned, obviously confused when Sam slid into the backseat, but said nothing as Lucifer hesitated only briefly before climbing in after him.

Castiel seemed rather eager, though he was making an attempt to hide it, as he got into the front.

"Okay," Dean said, shutting the driver's side door with slight exasperation. "This is not how I pictured going to the next job, but we're here now so lets suck it up and make this as painless as possible." He started the engine, the Impala roaring to life as Dean steeled himself to glance at Lucifer in the rearview mirror. "And just so you know, I'm going along with this for now, but damage my car and all bets are off."

It was the closest Dean had come to a friendly comment in regards to the devil, so Sam smiled, looking over at Lucifer hopefully.

The archangel gave a small shrug and turned to look out the window as they headed on their way.

Five minutes passed in relative comfort with no sound other than the radio playing in the background, the usual selection of Dean's five-album-wide music collection. It was halfway through the Rolling Stones playing 'Gimme Shelter' when the song suddenly cut out and, to Dean's great surprise, the tape shot out, floated itself neatly back into it's box, while Led Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti' album jumped up and slotted itself into the player.

The first track began to play and Sam couldn't help himself, bursting into laughter at the glimpse of Dean's face in the rearview mirror.

Clearly bewildered, Dean turned first to Cas, who simply stared blankly back, before it dawned on him that there could only be one other culprit.

It was funny how long it took him to realise, though Sam supposed Dean hadn't ever imagined the devil doing something so... petty as using his great powers to change the radio.

"What the hell?" Dean eventually blurted.

Sam was glad they were driving down a straight road as Dean hardly seemed to be paying attention to driving.

"I said not to touch my damn car!"

"No," Lucifer corrected calmly. "You said not to _damage_ your car. Changing the radio is hardly damaging it."

"Driver picks the music," Dean insisted as if it were a rule to be as respected as one of the ten commandments.

"This album is better," Lucifer said.

"Zeppelin's awesome," Dean declared, apparently unaware that he was actually agreeing with the devil. "But Stones are just as good. I mean, that guitar work, man. _Richards and Jagger_-"

"Do occasionally hit notes incorrectly."

Dean looked as if he'd just been personally insulted. "No way, man. They're like music gods."

"On the contrary, they're music _humans_," Lucifer replied. "It's not _their_ fault, I suppose. There are very few of you that can actually commandeer music properly with your inferior... forms."

"Dude, music is a human thing. You don't know what you're on about."

It was now Lucifer's turned to look affronted, while Sam quickly jumped in to explain.

"Dean," he said. "He's the Angel of Music."

"Angel of _what?_" Dean almost cried, looking suddenly as if he were suffering from an identity crisis upon learning that essentially his most favourite pastime was actually the area of expertise of a creature he'd dubbed one of the worst 'supernatural pieces of crap', as he would put it.

"I believe," Lucifer spoke up, sounding amused. "That I do, indeed, know what I'm talking about."

"But you insulted the _Stones_, man," Dean declared, as if that were a more valid argument that being able to claim (previous) charge over the angelic choirs of Heaven.

"I never said they were _bad_," Lucifer insisted. "Just that this other album is musically superior."

"'_Other album_'," Dean repeated scornfully. "This is Led Zeppelin's 'Physical Graffiti'. Call 'em by their proper titles, will you?"

"I haven't bothered to learn the names," Lucifer replied. "What is it with you humans and having to label everything? I do, however, know each song by it's entire arrangement of notes, harmonies, lyrics, and pacing."

"Screw that," Dean snapped. "You gotta know your legends. Right, so this is Led Zeppelin. The... _apparently inferior_ but actually awesome rockers you insulted at the Rolling Stones. That was the 'Hot Rocks' album." He took one hand off the steering wheel, waving one finger in the air as if declaring something of great importance. "Both bands, totally awesome. Okay yeah, I gotta admit, Zeppelin's 'Traveling Riverside Blues', and 'Ramble On', probably the two best hits ever in my opinion."

"Judging that I have the two right songs by those titles being included in the lyrics, both are good, but not the absolute best." Lucifer flicked his hand and the radio stuttered and produced only static for a few moments, before finally tuning into a station playing Zeppelin's 'When The Levee Breaks', a song not included on the 'Physical Graffiti' album. "This is not perfect, but the best that... band has produced."

"Yeah, this one's a classic but- hey, is this a radio station? How'd you do that?"

"Of all the things I can do, finding a station playing the desired song is not that difficult. If I really wanted, I can alter the actual equipment in the station to put on what I desire."

Dean was silent for a few moments. "...Dude," he said eventually. "After this, put some AC/DC on. 'Back in Black', 'Shoot to Thrill', you better know who I'm on about."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I believe I'm learning these unnecessary names, if you really do insist."

"I do, man," Dean replied. "All that composition crap is great, but you gotta know your tunes by name."

Unseen by the archangel and hunter, Cas glanced over his shoulder at Sam, who met his gaze briefly and grinned. For the first time, it seemed the chance of things working out was actually coming close to being true.

Sam just prayed this upward spiral would continue.

* * *

Just under three hours later they pulled up outside a motel in South Dakota. The Great Music Debate had lasted nearly an hour, before Lucifer had located a station marathoning Black Sabbath's greatest hits and both he and Dean had listened with surprisingly contention.

The four of them headed into the small reception area where the desk was unoccupied. Dean pressed the little bell which would hopefully get them some service, as the four of them stood and waited.

It was then that something occurred to Sam.

Though his brother was now fully aware of Lucifer's presence with them, he was unaware of the... exact nature of the archangel's relationship with him.

Dean had always been something of a womanizer, though in recent years Sam had started to wonder if the act was a little forced to cover up possible bisexual inclinations. Honestly, Sam wasn't really bothered, though watching Dean and Cas dance around each other was often amusing, if not a little frustrating.

With himself and Lucifer, however, he'd never really considered sexuality that much. He had dated women, found them attractive still, but every relationship he had pursued was always undermined by this burning wish for normality. it was only now that he realised he valued that sense of feeling like he was doing something like every other person, than he did the actual relationships. He had never felt... right with anyone other than Lucifer, not just in romantic pursuits, but generally. He and the archangel had a connection that Sam had never come close to feeling before with anyone else. It had been strong enough to push back all his attempts at denial and the mass of bizarre circumstances that attempted to come between them.

Honestly, Sam considered their relationship the purest binding of souls. However, he wasn't sure Dean would be able to see past the rather shocking revelation that his brother was having sexual intercourse with Satan.

"Dean," he spoke up hesitantly, taking effort to carefully chose his words. "I think we better get two rooms."

Dean frowned, glancing over at their angelic company. "What? They don't need beds; they don't sleep, Sam."

"I know," the younger hunter said quickly. "But I think Lucifer might prefer... time alone with me. Lets just not rush things, right? I'm glad you two are getting on and I don't want you to get under each other's skin and ruin it."

Dean snorted. "We're hardly _getting on_," he quickly denied. He looked over at Lucifer again and sighed. "But yeah, okay, I admit the idea of Satan watching me while I sleep's a little creepy. If you want to put up with him on your own, that's fine."

Lucifer could clearly hear every word and glared, but Sam smiled at him reassuringly.

The receptionist finally appeared and Dean checked them in, handing one key to Sam before leading Cas off down the corridor, seemingly without thinking about whether the other angel really needed to stay in the room with him.

"At last," Lucifer muttered. "I couldn't put up with your brother's babbling much longer."

Sam rolled his eyes at the two's reluctance to admit they had shown any kind of cooperation, before walking with Lucifer to their own room.

As soon as the door was shut behind them, he couldn't help but grab hold of Lucifer and press their lips together.

Perhaps he was just wanton for it, or maybe it was the relief of things finally beginning to work out, but either way, as they collapsed back onto the bed together, he decided there was some things that perhaps Dean wasn't quite ready to see yet.

* * *

**A/N: No, that's not the end, just in case you thought that.**

**Sorry this took me so long. I've been ill, and uni stuffs, and job hunting, and ugh, life. Also blame the previously listed issues for general bad quality of writing. I really appreciate all the reviews, favourites, follows, etc. So thank you very much ^_^**


	7. Better Than You Know Yourself

**Shadow**

**Chapter Seven: Better Than You Know Yourself**

Sam woke early the next morning. He was surprised he wasn't more tired, after the hectic events of the past few days, and that Lucifer had kept him up late, insistent on making love to him, taking him with an almost frantic desperation as if he was trying to put a claim on him.

Either way, the archangel seemed more content now, lying in the bed beside Sam, his eyes closed and form peacefully still in something that could have almost passed for sleep.

Sam sighed, running one hand gently over the large wing splayed across his torso. He briefly marveled at the feel of the feathers under his touch, almost impossibly soft, yet they seemed to _hum_ with a certain vibrance of grace that made Sam's skin tingle.

His gaze slid to Lucifer's face, just as the angel's eyes opened to look up at him. "Hey."

For a few moments, Lucifer just stared at him, blue eyes bright in the dim early morning sunlight filtering in through the motel window. Eventually, he shifted up onto his elbows, hunching his shoulders and flapping his wings lazily.

"Told you," Sam whispered. "Nothing's gonna come between us, Luce."

"Isn't it?" Lucifer responded, halfheartedly raising one eyebrow. "Darling Dean doesn't know everything, does he, Sammy?"

Sam frowned, unable to deny that those words were all too true. Phase one: 'convince Dean to tolerate the presence of the devil' was complete, but he had yet to even think about how to tackle phase two: 'break it to Dean that his little brother was in love with the devil'.

"I'll think of something," Sam said weakly, flopping back down onto the pillows and fixing his gaze on the ceiling.

"Or we could still just go," Lucifer suggested. "I could take us anywhere."

"No," Sam replied, voice soft as he turned his head to side to face him. "We've been through this, Lucifer. We're staying." He paused. "Besides, you and Dean were getting on okay yesterday."

Lucifer scoffed. "Hardly."

Sam couldn't help but roll his eyes. Lucifer was stubborn, if nothing else. He and Dean _had_ been getting along though, whether either would admit it or not. There had been a wary edge to their conversation, but the content remained generally friendly. Or at least, remotely civil.

Not wanting to push the matter and risk putting Lucifer in a bad mood, Sam dropped the subject. "I suppose we should get up," he declared instead.

Lucifer shrugged halfheartedly in response, stretching his wings slowly up to the ceiling.

Sam sighed, leaning over to press a kiss to the side of the archangel's head, before slipping out of bed.

Lucifer watched him as he crossed the room, more mesmerized than he'd like to admit by the sway of Sam's slim hips and the arched dipping curve of his muscled back. Eventually Sam disappeared round the doorframe of the bathroom. Lucifer waited until he heard the shower switch on before following.

Sam was stood under the spray of water with his head tilted back, long hair growing heavy and plastering to his skin. His eyes were closed. He shook his head a little to keep his brown locks away from his eyes, shoulders shifting in a slow backward roll, muscles flexing under his skin.

There was something thrilling about the gasp that escaped Sam as Lucifer stepped into the shower and wrapped arms around him from behind. The hunter almost stumbled, his weight falling back against Lucifer's chest as the archangel's lips found his neck.

"_Luce..._" Sam whispered, the word coming out as far more of a moan than he intended.

Lucifer smirked, distinctly satisfied, but he wasn't done yet. He slid a hand down Sam's torso, over his firm ridges of his muscled stomach, wet with the water of the shower, until he reached his cock, fumbling the length of it with gentle fingertips until it began to harden under his touch.

Sam let his head roll back onto Lucifer's shoulder, the constant splatter of water like a thousand pricks against his flushed skin. He tried to remain in control, but a deep groan clawed its way up from his chest, and he heard Lucifer give a short chuckle of satisfaction.

His touch was too exact to be human, to perfect in its pressure and slow, teasing strokes. It had Sam gasping and muttering profanities, erection thick and long in Lucifer's hand, the blood pulsing away from what felt like everywhere else in his body and heading straight to his length.

Lucifer's thumb ran over the head of his cock, wiping away the beading pre-cum that had formed there. He ran the forked length of his tongue teasingly up Sam's neck, causing the hunter to moan loudly, all semblance of self-control lost.

Lucifer hoped Dean would walk in. It would have been somehow satisfying, to see the older Winchester's face were he to stumble upon this scene, his little brother flushed and helpless in the devil's hold.

However, they remained uninterrupted, and Lucifer grew bored of teasing, reaching over for the complimentary bottle of motel baby oil. He lathered his own length, already swollen, slick fingers quickly trailing down the gap between Sam's buttocks and finding his hole.

Sam breathed in shakily, shuffling his legs apart for better access. He braced his hands on the wall, fingertips fumbling on the slippery tile as he felt Lucifer slip a finger inside of him.

"_Lucifer..._ Oh God..."

"This has nothing to do with my father, Sam," Lucifer whispered, breath tingling over his skin and giving Sam goosebumps despite the heat running through his whole body. His hips shifted compulsively as Lucifer pushed a second finger inside of him, scissoring him open.

"Please..." Sam gasped, squeezing his eyes shut in a desperate attempt to stop his voice trembling. "_Please..._"

"Please what?" Lucifer murmured. He stroked himself slowly as Sam squirmed, rubbing back against him.

Sam groaned, throwing his head back, chest heaving with his heavy breaths. "You know what," he choked out.

Lucifer grinned, nipping at Sam's neck with his teeth. "Do I?"

"_Please_."

"Say it."

Sam pursed his lips, considering for a moment his pride against the burning ache in his cock and heat pooling low in his stomach. He moaned. "Please fuck me."

Lucifer smirked, positioning himself at Sam's entrance. "Good boy." He eased himself inside of Sam, pushing slowly deeper as the hunter gasped from the sudden penetration.

Sam gasped, the beat of the shower water disorientating his senses until the feel of Lucifer inside of him seemed to overtake his entire body, his whole form burning with it, the pleasure overtaking him as he Lucifer found the spot inside of him that nearly made his legs collapse from under him.

He had to grip the wall for support, hands sliding on the tiles as Lucifer began to thrust in and out of him, never pulling back quite all the way, but slamming in deep. He took hold of Sam's hips, grasping them tight, fingers feeling over the sharp bones as he continued his assault on Sam's rear.

Had the building collapsed around them right now, Sam wouldn't have cared. All he could feel was the sting of Lucifer's hands, the patter of the water that somehow made everything so much more sensual, and the ache building to almost painful levels in his cock.

Lucifer thrust into him again, relishing in the feeling of Sam clenching around him. He slid one arm around the hunter's torso, arching the other back against him, nipping at his neck, his shoulders blades, blunt nails digging into his skin.

Sam couldn't resist anymore and wrapped his hand around his own cock, stroking in time to Lucifer's thrusts. He hadn't thought it was possible to feel any more good, but the pleasure only intensified, climaxing as his hips bucked and he came down the tiles in front of him, the spray of water quickly washing it away.

Lucifer pulled him closer, gripping him possessively, Sam's hair wet against his face as he thrust hard into the trembling hunter, mouth falling open with a soft moan as he came deep inside the other.

For a few moments, they both just stayed there, practically leaning on each other, Lucifer still holding him tight, heads resting against each other's, Lucifer's cock still buried deep inside him.

Eventually, Lucifer stood straight, gently pulling out of him as Sam gave a tired groan.

The water quickly washed away the last evidence of their intercourse, running down their naked forms, soothing their flushed skin as Lucifer leant forward and kissed the nape of Sam's neck. "I love you," he whispered.

Sam finally got his breathing under control, placing his hand over Lucifer's which was still clutched around his waist. "I love you, too."

* * *

The met Dean and Cas for breakfast just after eight.

Sam had persuaded Lucifer into a different outfit, so the archangel was now attired in darker jeans, a grey hoodie and a black leather jacket. The hunter himself, of course, sported his usual jeans and plaid shirt combo.

"Hey," Sam greeted, chancing a glance between Lucifer and his brother and their other angel.

"Mornin'," Dean muttered back, purposefully addressing his greeting directly at Sam, before turning toward the diner attached to the motel block.

Sam sighed, dropping in to walk beside Cas. "Everything okay?"

Castiel glanced over at Lucifer, who simply stared icily back. "As much as it can be," he said.

Sam and Dean ate breakfast, while the two angels simply sat in silence, both having declined anything to eat or drink. Sam had noted that Lucifer had waited for Cas to answer the request over whether they wanted anything before deciding himself. He supposed Lucifer appreciated having another angel around, even if things were tense between them. It seemed to make him feel a little closer to his own kind, which made him determined to prove he was indeed still one of them.

"You and Cas could be friends," Sam suggested quietly as they made their way out to the Impala. Dean and Cas- both already dressed in suits- would be posing as FBI agents, while Sam had said he would take Lucifer to the library with him.

"I don't think Castiel thinks much of me, Sam," Lucifer replied. He kept his voice even, but Sam didn't miss the touch of hurt in his words.

"Well," the hunter said awkwardly, "you _did_ kind of blow him up that one time."

Lucifer scowled. "He deserved it. He was being a nuisance."

Sam sighed. "Okay," he conceded. "But things are different now. You know, a lot of other angels have a problem with Cas. He might appreciate your company. I mean, you _are_ brothers."

"Heaven's mutually hated," Lucifer muttered. "We could start a club."

"I didn't mean it like that," Sam said as they reached the car. He stopped, stepping closer to the passenger seat door. "Why don't you guys sit in the back together?"

Lucifer frowned, but as Castiel approached the car and saw Sam by the front, he gave no comment and simply made his way to the back door at the other side. Seeing this, Lucifer gave in and ducked down into the car, sliding in beside his brother.

Dean glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror but gave no comment, turning the key as the engine roared to life.

"You're not palming him off on Cas already, are you?" Dean commented to Sam, apparently unbothered that both angels clearly heard and Lucifer's eyes narrowed at the comment.

"_No_," Sam insisted. "They're brothers, Dean. I thought they should sit together."

Dean humphed. "Maybe they can room together instead then. Cas, man, the watching me while I sleep thing is still creepy."

Castiel had never understood Dean's objections to the matter, and continued to do so as he frowned. "I thought you would appreciate the guardianship while you rest," he said. "I can protect you much better when I can see you."

Sam grinned, never one to miss an opportunity to tease his brother. "Aw," he cooed. "Dean's knight in shining armour."

Dean flushed slightly, throwing out one fisted hand to thump his brother in the upper arm. "Shut up. You're getting off the subject. At least I don't have Satan standing over me all night."

Lucifer had instantly looked displeased at the use of that title, but chose to comment on something else. "I do not 'stand over' Sam."

Dean rolled his eyes, clearly believing Lucifer was merely being insolent. "Sit over, then. Fly over. Whatever."

"They're just watching out for us, Dean," Sam said, slightly awkwardly as he knew well exactly what Lucifer was getting at. "You got to admit, they aren't half bad as protectors."

Dean huffed, turning the Impala onto the road that led toward the main town. "Still creepy," he insisted. "You think they could at least read a book or something, not just stand there, man."

"I apologise if I have offended you, Dean," Cas said. "I do stay across the room as you have requested."

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's like training a dog," he muttered. "Isn't there a guide for these things? 'How to train you angel' or something?"

Sam chuckled slightly, but Lucifer looked less than impressed.

"You know, I actually find your behaviour interesting," Lucifer spoke up conversationally. "I didn't think you were so shy, Dean."

Dean's eyes narrowed. "I'm not _shy_," he scoffed. "What the hell are you on about?"

Lucifer shrugged languidly. "Just, you know, you seem very anxious about sharing your feelings for Castiel. You shouldn't be. I'm sure he'd return them, even though you are rather hard to love."

Dean instantly launched into a passionate defense of himself which ended up consisting of nothing but incomprehensible half-formed sentences and spluttering. Eventually he regained his composure, forcefully clearing his throat and completely avoiding the main issue of the discussion by merely insisting, "I'm _not_ shy."

Sam was grinning. "Oh come on, Dean, just tell Cas how you feel."

"I don't... I'm not..." Dean scrunched up his face, purposefully giving the road more of his attention for the next few minutes than he usually did on an entire journey.

Sam rolled his eyes.

"You're deluded," Dean suddenly declared after a few moments of silence, glaring at Lucifer in the rear view mirror. "Besides, what do you know about... _love_ and that? Maybe you're jealous. You're the devil, as if you'd get any action."

The comment was ridiculous for a number of reasons. For a start, Dean had just inadvertently admitted to some suggestion of his feelings, while simultaneously indirectly pointing out his own state of denial. Not to mention, his words had hardly made sense and his continued reluctance to even use affectionate words like 'love'.

Lucifer could have commented on any one of these things in retaliation. However, he chose to make a very different point.

"I don't know," he said. "You'd have to ask your brother."

There was a brief moment during which the meaning of those words sunk in, as Dean just frowned. Sam, however, immediately blushed, hunching his shoulders as if hoping to disappear. Cas blinked, clearly confused. And suddenly, Dean got it, his whole body jumping so much with the shock the Impala narrowly avoided crashing into a nearby tree.


	8. A Mind Of My Own

**Shadow**

**Chapter Eight: A Mind Of My Own**

Dean pulled the Impala over to the side of the rode, the tires gritting against the gravel as the roar of the engine faded. "You... You..." He looked frantically between his brother and Lucifer, who was in the backseat with his arms folded. "You and him are... are..."

"_Yes_, Dean," Sam blurted, hoping facing the matter head on would mean it was resolved sooner. "Yes, okay. We are. I..." He paused, swallowed, ignored the cliche nature of the admittance, and forced the words out of his mouth. "I love him."

"What?" Dean shook his head, the contorted expression on his face suggesting he was hoping he'd completely misunderstood the situation, but the pleading look in his brother's eyes told him he most definitely had not. "Sam... No, okay? You can't he... he's... You just _can't_, okay?"

"_Dean_," Sam whispered, voice breaking, the desperation in that one word all too clear.

Lucifer couldn't stand it. He'd once stood before his own brother and said his name like that, so desperate for support, for acceptance. He knew first hand what it was like to see the disgust in the eyes of someone you looked up to and trusted.

"No, Sam," Dean snapped, voice rising. "This is too much, man. It's too much. That's just _wrong_."

Lucifer had had enough. He gritted his teeth, ignoring Castiel's warning call of his name, and grabbing Dean around the neck. "_You_ are wrong," he spat.

Dean clawed at the archangel's forearm, trying to make him let go, as Sam screamed at them both to stop it. He was struggling to breathe, choking out incomprehensible protests, before Lucifer suddenly released him, shoving him hard against the inside of the car door before grasping Sam's shoulder and disappearing them both with a faint sound of flapping.

Dean and Cas were left alone in the Impala, the former breathing heavily, before finally regaining his composure. He turned to look at Cas behind him, acknowledging his companion's pursed lips and furrowed brow. "It... It's wrong, right?" he snapped, though there was a distinct lack of conviction in his tone.

It was a few moments before Cas responded, the angel seeming to think over his words as he was saying them. "Dean," he began slowly. "Lucifer became... what he is through his resentment of humanity. For him to now be capable of truly loving one of them, thanks to your brother..." He trailed off, but his point had been made.

* * *

He didn't know where they landed and he didn't care. He let his legs collapse from under him, falling against Lucifer's solid form, letting the archangel hold him up as he always did, giving up on all semblance of self-control and sobbing hysterically into Lucifer's shoulder.

Lucifer's wings materialized, pulling forward and wrapping around Sam. The archangel squeezed his eyes shut, resting his forehead against the side of Sam's temple, the hunter's hair tickling against his face. "I told you," he murmured. "I told you. They don't understand. They never will."

"He's my brother," Sam choked out between sobs. "He's always been there for me. I thought... I thought he would at least hear me out."

"No," Lucifer whispered, opening his eyes eyes briefly and kissing the side of Sam's head hard. "We're different from them, Sam. Our only place is with each other."

Sam slowly pulled back from him, still shaking, tears still flowing. He vaguely noted they were on the roof of some building, but his attention was fixed on Lucifer's face, staring into the only eyes that had never looked at him like they saw something wrong.

"I'll always be here for you, Sammy," Lucifer said, kissing Sam's forehead as the hunter turned his gaze downward. "Just you and me, okay?"

"Okay." However, he paused uncertainly, sniffing back his tears. "Do you think he was maybe just angry? Perhaps if we-"

"No," Lucifer cut him off, shaking his head as he lifted Sam's chin to make the hunter look at him. "I used to think like that, Sam. I used to think if I could just see Michael, talk to him, he would understand. You saw how well that turned out." He met Sam's gaze, placing one hand on the side of his face, using his thumb to wipe away Sam's tears. They both remembered the apocalypse (or attempted apocalypse, at least), where Lucifer had offered for them both to just abandon the fight and Michael had thrown the suggestion back in his face. "I won't let anyone make you suffer like that."

Sam nodded, pursing his lips to stop himself from crying any more, reaching for Lucifer's hand and holding it tight. Eventually, he sucked in a deep, shaky breath and nodded again, more firmly this time. "Just you and me."

* * *

He was exhausted, but couldn't sleep. Lying in the double bed of a motel Lucifer had taken them to, as far away from Dean as possible, Sam stared up at the dark ceiling.

Lucifer was across the room, stood by the window. He seemed to be keeping guard, as if he expected Dean to charge in at any moment, despite that merely getting there would take days of travel. Unless Cas brought him, of course, but with the warding on Sam's ribs and Lucifer a far more powerful creature, the chances of finding them were virtually nonexistent.

"Luce," he spoke up, not bothering to shift his gaze from the ceiling.

"Hm?" came the vague, almost inaudible response.

"You okay?" Sam continued. It seemed a strange question to ask an ancient, practically all-powerful being, but Sam knew this situation had got to him. Lucifer had always looked at Dean with a strange wariness because of what he represented, but the anger he could practically sense radiating from the archangel in response to Dean's reaction to their relationship was something else entirely. Sam supposed resentful older brothers was a touchy issue for him.

For a few long moments, Lucifer said nothing, hands braced on the windowsill. "I'm sure I'll survive, Sam. You're my only concern."

"Lucifer, you're _my_ concern too, you know." He pushed himself up, the bed covers falling into his lap. He watched the tension shift in Lucifer's shoulders before he decided that there was no point attempting sleep and shuffled back on the bed. "Come over here, Luce. Please."

Lucifer didn't seem to move, but then Sam blinked and he was sat beside him, gazing at him with the kind of quiet complacence he so often adopted with Sam."You should sleep," he said.

Sam shrugged. "A lot on my mind." He blinked, pressing his lips together to keep his composure, but wet tears stung at his eyes once more all the same.

"Sam..." Lucifer's voice was a whisper. He reached out, gently wiping the tears away. There was a flapping sound as his wings materialised, one wrapping itself around Sam's shoulders.

The hunter smiled tiredly, shuffling closer into the strange embrace. The feathers tickled his neck and bare arms, he twisted his head so he could admire the wing tip curling round into his lap. The feathers were beautiful, a light blondish hue that seemed to shine from a light within itself. Sam sometimes thought if people could just see Lucifer's wings, they would realise that this creature was still an angel.

He frowned as he spotted a couple of feathers bent out of place. He smoothed them back into their proper positions, a tired smile creeping onto his face as the wing twitched involuntarily under his touch. "Ticklish?"

"They're sensitive," Lucifer stated. "I've told you before, Sam."

"Just kidding," Sam whispered, shuffling over on the bed. He ducked as Lucifer pulled the wing up and over his head so the hunter was now sat behind it. "Is it rash of me, sassing the devil?"

"Go ahead," Lucifer muttered. "It's better than the fear, disgust, whatever else people look at me with."

Sam sighed, running his fingers through some of the longer feathers to comb them out. "I know it's hardly on the same scale, but I do kind of know what you mean. '_The boy with the demon blood'._" He choked out a bitter laugh. "The way Dean looked at me..."

Lucifer was staring off into space, fists clenched in his lap. "I know."

Sam paused, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. "But he forgave me. He... didn't give up on me."

Unseen to Sam sitting behind him, there was a flicker of surprise on Lucifer's face. "I thought it was just after the apocalypse started you were driven back together and eventually got over it. I supposed other matters were more of a priority. Me, mainly."

Sam shrugged. "Kind of. But Dean he... he wanted us to sort it. He wasn't happy, no, but I know he did just want what was best for me." He idly smoothed over a few feathers. "He always does, I guess. Even if we don't agree on what best for me is."

"Not me, apparently, according to Dean."

Sam frowned, inclining his head toward the touch as Lucifer seemed to sense his sadness and affectionately brushed one wing up against him. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry he can't understand. I mean, he's my brother and I love him-"

"Still?" Lucifer cut in.

Sam sighed. "You still love Michael. Don't even try and tell me otherwise. What I mean is that maybe we have to accept there's parts of us our brothers are just never going to get. Or maybe just that no one gets." He trailed his fingers down Lucifer's back, between his wings, watching the two large limbs twitch a little at the sensation. "No one gets me like you do, Luce. And I love that. It just... kind of hurts, you know, that it means everyone else pushes us away."

Lucifer looked over his shoulder at him, face sombre as Sam met his gaze. He studied the pain in the hunter's eyes, the familiar agony of rejection he'd felt himself for so long. Unable to take the look any longer, he leant in and pressed their lips together, making Sam's eyes fall shut.

* * *

Dean Winchester lay back on the bed in his motel room, equally awake as his little brother, though without company.

Cas was gone again, off with vague explanations, likely to return later with weak excuses that he hardly seemed sure of himself. Dean knew it was something to do with Heaven, and Cas' recent behaviour made him detest the place even more, especially as Cas' words seemed more and more to sound like things he was being told to say.

Hell was no picnic, Heaven was corrupt; sometimes he thought he might just like to go back to Purgatory when he died. At least there, he had known what he was doing...

Forget Heaven and Hell, beside hunting he didn't really know what he was doing on earth either. All his life he'd known only one thing: if it was supernatural, kill it.

But then there had been supernatural things that weren't so bad (Cas, mainly), and humans that weren't so good (too many to count). And the supposedly good supernatural things (angels), were often bad. And the bad things were not so often, but sometimes, maybe, a little good?

Lucifer.

The biggest baddie of them all. Dean had seen him rip gods apart, covered in blood, willing to bring the world to its knees. He looked every bit as evil as he supposed to be, unless... unless he was looking at Sam. Then he just..changed.

Dean didn't understand it. Dean didn't know _how_ he changed, but there was no denying there was something different about Lucifer when he looked into Sam's eyes.

Besides, wasn't Sam at least destined to have been something bad but turned out pretty good?

Huffing, Dean crossed his arms, glaring up at the ceiling as if it were to fault for his lack of answers.

What was he supposed to do? Protecting Sam was his job; always had been, always would be. But what if Sam didn't want to be protected? Sam had thrown himself into the devil's embrace and was insistent he was happy there. Lucifer presence, after much contemplation, Dean had just about been able to tolerate. But this. _This_. It was a whole other issue. His little brother was in love with the devil. The little brother he'd sworn to protect from all harm. But...

Well, if the supposed greatest evil of them all was looking out _for_ Sam, then at least it couldn't hurt him, right?

But what if Lucifer wasn't looking out for him? What if Lucifer still had bad intentions? Still wanted Sam for a vessel? What if-

"Cas!"

The angel's appearance in the room was so sudden Dean jumped, flinging himself upright, hands braced behind him. "God, man, you made me jump. I've told you to stop doing that. You really should learn to... Cas?"

Cas was just standing there staring at him. And not in the usual blank, fascinated, unashamedly obvious way. He looked... menacing. Ready for battle. But he was also twitching slightly, like something was irritating him, like he was trying to fight against but couldn't quite manage to work out where to begin.

"Cas?" Dean asked again, sliding off the edge of the bed to stand up, back away a little.

"Dean," Cas said. He winced, clutching the side of his head. "No. No I..."

"What? Cas, what the hell are you on about?"

Cas squeezed his eyes shut, both hands clutching his temples. "No. They... Dean, they're controlling us. No. I won't..."

"_Cas!_" Dean ran forward, reaching out to the angel, but Castiel's sword was suddenly in his hand, slashing outwards, forcing the hunter to stumble back to avoid the blow.

"No. Dean she wants me to... _I won't kill him, Naomi_."

"Cas?! Who the hell's Naomi?" Dean dodged another swipe.

"She... She says you're interfering with Heaven's plan. She-" He struck the sword toward Dean once more, face scrunched up in agony, as if his own actions pained him.

"Cas. Cas, come on, man." Dean stumbled back, eyes widening as he found only a solid wall behind him. "Cas, it's me. You don't want to hurt me. You got to fight this!"

Cas was stood over him now, sword in hand, raised. "Dean..."

"Cas..." The fear he felt could only be compared to the moments when he had seen Sam in mortal danger. He didn't fear for his own life, but what had become of his friend, the angel who had saved him and helped him. He feared because he'd never be able to talk to Sam to maybe work this out. He'd never be able to tell Cas that- "Cas, _please_."

There was desperation in Dean's voice, a purity in his eyes. Something changed. Somewhere, somehow, those words hit deep and overruled whatever was forcing its control over Cas' head.

And Cas pulled the angel blade back at the last minute before it stabbed through Dean Winchester's chest. And drove it through his own instead.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I'm an evil person. This all ties in, I swear.**


	9. Always End Up Here

**Shadow**

**Chapter Nine: Always End Up Here**

"Castiel is dead."

Sam, who had been dozing lightly in and out of sleep jumped up at those words, flying upright to stare at Lucifer, wide-eyed. "What?"

"Castiel is dead," Lucifer repeated blandly. "I felt it."

"What?" Sam crawled forward on the bed to get closer to the archangel sitting on the edge of it. "No. He can't... What _happened?_"

Lucifer frowned. "He seems to have stabbed himself with his own blade."

"Why the hell would he do that?" Sam cried.

"I don't know," Lucifer replied honestly. He stood up.

"Where is he? Oh my god, what about Dean? Is Dean with him?"

"Yes."

Sam scrambled up off the mattress, already snatching up clothes. "We have to go."

Lucifer turned to look at him. "Why?"

Sam glanced up at him, face scrunched up in distaste. "_Why?_" He repeated. "Cas... My friend... He just _died_. I want to know what happened." There were tears in his eyes.

"You're upset," Lucifer noted.

"Of course I'm upset," Sam snapped, balancing on one leg as he tugged on his jeans. He wiped his eyes furiously, dropping back to sit on the edge of the mattress as he pulled on his shoes. "Take me there," he said, his voice softer now. He looked up at the archangel. "Please, Luce."

Lucifer sighed, but once Sam had pulled on his jacket, he reached out and touched the hunter's shoulder, instantly transporting them from the motel room they were in to another several hundred miles away.

"Dean!" Sam cried, seeing his brother on the floor, kneeling beside the prone figure of Castiel, his head lolled to the side and scorched wing marks spread out across the floor. Sam took in the sight, trembling. "No..."

"He... He..." Dean choked out. "He said someone was... was controlling them."

"Who? The angels?"

Dean nodded. "I guess so. Then he... He'd been told to stop me. Or us, I'm presuming. Something about interfering with Heaven."

"Told by who?"

"He said... Naomi."

Lucifer frowned.

"Then he was gonna... was gonna kill me. I really thought he was gonna." Dean sniffed, eyes never wavering from Cas' still form. "But then at the last moment, he stabbed himself instead."

"So he didn't have to hurt you," Sam muttered. He moved forward, kneeling down beside his brother, his own tears falling freely. "Oh Cas..."

Lucifer stood over him, watching Sam's large form shake with his sobs, seeing the total agony pass over his face, prominent in all his features. Sam was distraught, upset, _unhappy_. And that simply wouldn't do.

None too gently pushing the older Winchester aside, Lucifer crouched down over his fallen brother. He did like Castiel, honestly. Even after everything, though he still didn't appreciated the 'Molotov-ing' of Michael. But angels died a lot recently and Lucifer had no time to mourn, though he felt for each one of his siblings. Nowadays, there was only Sam. And if Sam was sad, it was up to him to do something about it.

Dean had pulled the sword from his chest, the silver blade glinting in the dim motel room light, lying on the carpet, streaked and dripping in crimson. Just a gaping wound where it had struck remained.

Lucifer laid his hand there, over the blood-coated white button-up shirt and scraggly blue tie. He pressed his hand to Castiel's chest and closed his eyes.

Sam felt something flicker inside of him as it did every time Lucifer used his powers, a flare of energy where Lucifer's grace rested, entwined with his very soul. Nothing much happened on the outside, Lucifer's powers stripped of Heaven's aid and no longer working with light, simply force. Lucifer could no longer smite, but could tear and destroy. His powers were all internal now, all mental and from within himself without Heaven's support. But he retained his strength, moulded it into a form of power he could still use. An independent angel.

The wound closed over Castiel's chest, simply healing itself over, skin crawling and pulling back into place. The great scorched marks of his wings on the floor seemed to flicker, before suddenly seeping inwards from the edges, as if the wings were being folded back, but bit by bit, like ink draining away. They looked like shadows, but they seemed to rise up, fading as they flapped before vanishing all together.

Cas' eyes opened.

Relief spread across the faces of both Winchesters. Lucifer cared nothing for the pure, desperate joy in Dean's expression, but the way Sam suddenly lit up with happiness made him feel the kind of pleased contention he hadn't experienced since Heaven. It was a feeling now only exclusive to when he was around Sam, and for it, Lucifer would give the hunter the world if he only asked.

"_Cas_." Dean flung himself at the angel as he sat up, unaware of Cas blinking over his shoulder, looking bewildered by the embrace.

"Dean," the angel eventually managed to murmur. "I thought... I thought I had died."

"You did," Sam whispered. He looked at Cas, then up at Lucifer who had stood once more. "Lucifer brought you back."

Castiel's face melted into an expression of clear surprise as Dean finally pulled away from him.

Sam climbed to his feet, making his way over to the archangel and hesitating only briefly before pulling him into a hug, right there in front of his brother and Cas. "Thank you."

Dean and Cas stood too, the elder Winchester having sobered a little as he turned to Lucifer seriously.

"Why would you save me?" Cas asked.

Lucifer regarded him silently for a few moments, before looking to Sam now stood beside him. "Because your death had made Sam upset."

Dean raised both eyebrows, clearly surprised at the response. "That's it?"

"That's it," Lucifer said simply.

"You'll bring someone back from the dead just cause it made Sam sad?" Dean continued.

"Yes." Lucifer reached up and tucked a look bit of hair back behind Sam's ear. "I told Sam long ago I wanted to make him happy. If anything tries to interfere with that happiness, I will deal with it." He glanced over at Dean and Cas. "I don't care much for either of you. I care much less for the rest of the creatures on this ruined planet. What I care about is Sam."

For a few long moments, Dean just looked at him. Then his eyes slid to Sam, then back again. "You're kind of useful to have around," he said eventually. "I got to admit."

"I'm not here for you."

Dean shrugged the comment off. "Well I'm here to look after Sam. I always have done, always will do. It's my job. Anything that comes near Sam, I got to check it out, you know. Make sure its gonna be good for my brother."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow but said nothing as Dean continued.

"And believe me, I had doubts about you. I think it's fair to say for good reason. But..." He met Sam's eyes, his brother's green orbs wide and almost pleading. He looked back to Lucifer. "When it comes to Sam, I can't really fault you. You're still a crazy, kind of evil son of a bitch, but you've done my brother no harm."

Hesitantly, almost disbelieving, Sam smiled. "Dean... Thank you."

Lucifer frowned, looking between the two brothers briefly. "I didn't realise I was required to ask your brother's permission for you," he said dryly.

Sam choked out a laugh, shaking his head.

"Well you got permission, alright?" Dean said. "I'm officially charging you with care of my brother. And you better take good care of him."

Lucifer turned to Sam, finding the hunter all but grinning back at him. "That," he said, "I can promise."

Sam laughed because he didn't know what else to do. Too thrilled to care about anything else, he dove forward and pressed his lips to Lucifer's, ignoring Dean's attempt to cover his uncomfortable grimace in the background and Cas' obvious, unabashed staring. He smiled into the kiss as he felt Lucifer return it, refusing to let go even as Dean called, "alright, alright, that's enough already. Man, get a room, will you?"

* * *

"Okay, house rules," Dean declared, the four of them now sat around the table in Dean's motel room, takeout spread across the surface for the two humans amongst the group. "First of all, no demons. Seriously. Even just as slaves or whatever."

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "I thought you understood by now I have no particular love for those beings."

"Whatever," Dean said, waving his hand. "Anyway, rule two: separate motel rooms. And I better no hear... just _anything_ through the walls."

Sam blushed.

Lucifer smirked. "As long as we equally don't hear anything from you and Castiel."

Now both Winchesters had gone red, while Cas simply tilted his head in confusion, but it was a notable point that Dean made no attempt to deny anything.

"Rule three," he continued instead, making an obvious bold attempt to keep his composure. "All angelic beings go in the back of the car. Up front is me and Sam, unless there's one of us not in the car already."

"Why is it up to you to make all the rules?" Lucifer said, frowning.

"Because I'm in charge," Dean declared. "Right, Sam?"

"Well, you're in charge of me," Sam said weakly, shrugging.

"Right. Big brother is boss."

"Then I'm in charge," Lucifer said. "I'm certainly older than you."

"You're not my brother," Dean argued.

Lucifer glanced over at Castiel and smirked. "I guess I'm in charge of you then, little brother."

"I don't think so," Cas stated, serious as ever.

"_Anyway_," Dean cut in. "Now we've established how things are gonna go, we got bigger problems to worry about. Like who the hell is Naomi?"

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, but Lucifer surprisingly beat him to it.

"One of Michael's main followers," he said. "There was a section of angels devoted to loyally obeying orders from the archangels. Michael being the eldest commanded the most respect after-" his voice lowered slightly here- "after Father left. Naomi was one of those such personal workers. Think a celestial P.A."

"So now Michael's locked up and all the others are gone, she's taken over on his behalf?" Sam questioned.

Lucifer nodded. "I believe that's how she would see it. An interim manager, if you want to look at it like that."

"Okay," Dean said. "Well bitch is clearly up to no good. How do we shank her?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I could," he stated. Then paused. "But she is in Heaven." He didn't elaborate, but those present got the point regardless.

"We can lure her down here," Dean insisted. "But I wanna know what she wants. I mean, controlling angels, what the hell, man?"

"It is a dilemma," Castiel agreed. "But we shall sort it."

For a while, Sam had said nothing, elbow propped on the table and his hands supporting his face. He knew this conversation was important, but somehow his mind wouldn't focus. He was looking between Lucifer and Dean and Castiel.

He was hunting with his brother, helping do good in the world. And they had their trusty angel, free from anyone else's control and there to aid them and support them, but a friend, too. And he was sat beside Lucifer, who tonight he would go to bed with, who he could love, who he could have love him without keeping any secrets of hiding parts of his life. And Dean and Cas knew about this, and for the most part, they were okay with it.

Yes, there were problems with Heaven. Yes, there were monsters. Yes, their parents were dead, their lives were hectic, and they'd lost so many people. But yes, he had his brother, and friends, and driving in the Impala with the radio blaring, and laughing together, and books to read, TV shows to watch, things to enjoy.

Sam had had these things at times before, but had always felt excluded from them, like he was only allowed to join in on happiness as a reluctantly permitted guest. He felt different, left out, rejected. A freak.

But now he had another freak, one just like him to balance out his life. Someone he could just look at it and _know_ they understood.

Sam Winchester's life was not perfect. It was not easy. It was not even so much as simple. But now, at least, for the first time, he felt comfortable within it.

And with that, he felt, that no matter what was to come, it was a life worth living.

* * *

It was one of those vague such days, when Sam wasn't even sure what day of the week it was, and time seemed endless, that Lucifer sat down beside him at the table in the newly-discovered bunker and said, "you're going to die one day."

"I've died a few times already," Sam said, lightly, attempting to joke because he knew exactly what Lucifer meant and the thought sometimes struck him, too.

He wondered, vaguely, if it was normal to be hoping to go to Hell when you died.

Lucifer's face was serious, so Sam rested a hand idly on Lucifer's forearm where it lay on the table. "I'll do everything I can to stay with you," he said.

"I'll bring you back," Lucifer insisted.

Sam pursed his lips. "You know that won't work forever, Luce. You can't just revive me until the end of time."

Lucifer looked away, and they both knew he was perfectly willing to do just that if necessary. "I could make you young again. Anything you wish, Sammy."

Sam shook his head. "People are only meant to have one lifetime, Lucifer. _This_ is my life, everything I've done, everything I still have to do. If I lived over again it wouldn't be me."

Lucifer's eyes narrowed. He obviously took the idea of Sam's mortality as a personal threat, frowning down at the tabletop. His eyes flickered shut as Sam comfortingly ran a hand up his neck and through the back of his hair.

"It's not for years yet," Sam said. "My one human life may be as long as any other, that's another sixty, seventy years at least."

"That's a heartbeat to me," Lucifer muttered. "I've lived so long, Sam. I've waited so long for you. Our time together seems so short. I still don't understand, what all this means when Father said you were meant to be mine."

Sam sighed, but had no answer. He wished he could say something. He did worry occasionally, that without him Lucifer may revert to taking his anger out on humanity, but as hunters always did, he could do nothing but live each day to the next. It was how his life had always been.

He was rather grateful for the distraction when his laptop just in front of him beeped to indicate he had new email.

Lucifer still brooding beside him, he pulled the computer closer and opened the new message. "Huh, Charlie," he muttered.

The email was indeed from the Winchester's young computer-savvy friend, as she often did contact them for nothing but social purposes, a rarity in their lives. Sam opened the message, scanning over Charlie's usual cheery greetings:

_Wassup guys!_

_Though it might interest you, your fab little creepily biographical book series has a new update! ...Well, kinda._

Sam raised both eyebrows in surprise. They hadn't heard from Chuck in years now, and with Kevin the current active prophet, had only been able to conclude he was dead.

_It's weird though_, Charlie's email continued, _like it seems to be set in the future. And here's the really odd thing, I looked for anyone talking about it online to see what they thought, and no one else seems to know of it. I get the updates sent through subscription but I'm the only one that seems to have it. I downloaded the PDF and attached it. Don't know if it'll make anymore sense to you guys. Just fyi, it's a little freaky what it talks about, so watch yourselves._

_Anyways, enjoy! Hope to see you soon!_

_Charlie xxx_

Frowning curiously, Sam clicked on the attached file, waiting briefly for it to load before the document sprung open on the screen.

As Charlie had said it wasn't very long, not even a whole chapter. He wondered if maybe it was a preview to a new work, but it seemed to only be the last couple of pages of something, if anything. It was titled 'Epilogue'.

Sam read on.

_A short while after Dean's eventual death, well into old age, the elder brother remained happily within his own personal Heaven, guarded closely by the angel, Castiel. Of course, Sam was to finally follow, with his own semi-detached Heaven close by with a doorway between the two._

_Dean was escorted on his way by Death himself, who- despite passionate claims to the contrary- does have a soft spot for both boys. Sam, however, required no reaper._

_Several things happened in quick succession. First, Sam's heart stopped. Second, the part of The Morningstar's grace that had been within him flew onwards to break the true final seal it had always been made to. The only seal that resided not on the devil's cage, but within Heaven. And lastly, with the way now clear, Lucifer was to take Sam to Heaven._

_Because, in the end, in the face of evil, monsters, Heaven, and Hell, it matters not so much who Sam and Dean defeated, but who they saved._

For several long moments, that could have been hours, Sam just sat and stared. He was aware that Lucifer had been reading along with him over his shoulder, and that the archangel had fallen silent, though after a mere few words he had heard the sharp intake of breath as Lucifer recognised the familiar wording.

Eventually, breaking himself out of his trance, Sam nodded, closing the file and deleting it along with Charlie's email.

Lucifer looked at him questioningly, seeming incapable of forming words at the present moment.

Sam smiled. "I don't think Dean would like me to spoil the ending," he said. "Besides, he hates people proving him wrong, especially with how everyone's always insisted that all this was always meant to be."

Lucifer stared at him, eyes reflecting the knowledge and power of endless years, but focused on only one thing. "I thought I was meant to save you," he whispered eventually.

Sam shook his head, leaning over to press his lips to Lucifer's. "No," he muttered, pulling slowly out of the kiss and resting their foreheads together. "We were made to save each other."

* * *

**A/N: The end!**

**I'm hoping that wasn't too abrupt an ending, but like I've said I've not had a lot of time to write this recently, and I always wanted to keep the story focused on Sam and Lucifer and their relationship. I could have written in how they deal with the Naomi stuff together, but it seemed to stray from the point of this fic. Anyway, I hope it's remotely acceptable.**

**Thank you so much for all the favs, follows, reviews. I love you all!**

**Lastly, a final favour. If you like my writing (you have no taste), I'm actually trying to get the attention of some proper literary agents right now. To do so, I've uploaded an original novel I've written to be downloaded as an e-book off of Amazon to hopefully prove people would buy my stuff. If you've got a Kindle or any type of tablet (I think ****you might be able to download it to the computer too, but I'm not certain), I would really appreciate it if you would give my book a try. It's only about $5/£3.60/€3.70 (prices might vary slightly). You can find it here: amazon / dp / B00GEFIIIQ (remove spaces), or by searching for me 'Joanna McDowell' on Amazon and clicking the first link.**

**Thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for reviewing and whatever else. THANK YOU.**


End file.
